Hope and Its Associated Factors in Cancer Patients Undergoing Drug Therapy: a Systematic Review

Overview

Journal Support Care Cancer

Specialties Critical Care
Oncology

Date 2023 Sep 28

PMID 37768425

Authors

Mari Kitashita

Kumi Suzuki

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: This study seeks to clarify the hope of cancer patients undergoing drug therapy and related factors through a systematic review.

Methods: References were searched and selected in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses.

Results: Thirteen articles were selected. A meta-analysis found that the overall Herth Hope Index score for cancer patients undergoing drug therapy averaged 35.64 points. The hope of cancer patients was associated with anxiety/depression and quality of life (QOL). It was also associated with personal attributes such as age, family structure, economic situation, educational level, social support, internal factors such as coping, self-esteem, optimism, self-confidence, locus of control, etc., as well as disease/treatment-related factors such as the purpose of treatment, general condition, presence or absence of metastasis, symptoms, survival period, and estimated life expectancy.

Conclusion: Anxiety/depression, QOL, and other factors were found to be related to cancer patients' hope. In the future, studies that clarify the overall structure of various factors related to hope and longitudinal studies will be necessary.

Citing Articles

Factors influencing the hope of patients with advanced cancer while receiving cancer pharmacotherapy.

Kitashita M, Suzuki K Jpn J Nurs Sci. 2025; 22(2):e70006.

PMID: 40051128 PMC: 11885861. DOI: 10.1111/jjns.70006.

Structural equation modeling of hope, psychological distress, quality of life, and influencing factors in advanced cancer patients undergoing cancer pharmacotherapy in Japan.

Kitashita M Support Care Cancer. 2025; 33(3):189.

PMID: 39945896 DOI: 10.1007/s00520-025-09160-y.

Hope level and associated factors among older people living with HIV/AIDS: a cross-sectional study.

Yu C, Wu Y, Zhang Y, Li M, Xie X, Xie L Front Public Health. 2024; 12:1371675.

PMID: 38694993 PMC: 11061488. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1371675.

References

Sharma P, Allison J . The future of immune checkpoint therapy. Science. 2015; 348(6230):56-61. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa8172. View

Skoulidis F, Heymach J . Co-occurring genomic alterations in non-small-cell lung cancer biology and therapy. Nat Rev Cancer. 2019; 19(9):495-509. PMC: 7043073. DOI: 10.1038/s41568-019-0179-8. View

Chen H, Chen V, Hsiao H, Weng Y, Hsu Y, Weng J . Correlations And Correlates Of Post-Traumatic Growth And Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms In Patients With Breast Cancer. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2019; 15:3051-3060. PMC: 6830357. DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S218450. View

Dufault K, Martocchio B . Symposium on compassionate care and the dying experience. Hope: its spheres and dimensions. Nurs Clin North Am. 1985; 20(2):379-91. View

Sabanciogullari S, Taskin Yilmaz F . The Effect of Religious Coping on Hope Level of Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy. J Relig Health. 2019; 60(4):2756-2769. DOI: 10.1007/s10943-019-00944-1. View

Shen X, Lin Y, Miao R, Yao X, Sun H, Yang W . Type C Behavior and Associated Factors in Patients with Breast Cancer During Postoperative Chemotherapy: A Cross-Sectional Study. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2021; 14:1281-1289. PMC: 8370579. DOI: 10.2147/PRBM.S315930. View

Costa D, Silva D, Cavalcanti I, Gomes E, Vasconcelos J, Carvalho M . Religious/spiritual coping and level of hope in patients with cancer in chemotherapy. Rev Bras Enferm. 2019; 72(3):640-645. DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167-2018-0358. View

Cripe L, Rand K, Perkins S, Tong Y, Schmidt K, Hedrick D . Ambulatory Advanced Cancer Patients' and Oncologists' Estimates of Life Expectancy Are Associated with Patient Psychological Characteristics But Not Chemotherapy Use. J Palliat Med. 2018; 21(8):1107-1113. DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2017.0686. View

Balsanelli A, Grossi S . Predictors of hope among women with breast cancer during chemotherapy. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2017; 50(6):898-904. DOI: 10.1590/S0080-623420160000700004. View

10.

Schofield P, Stockler M, Zannino D, Tebbutt N, Price T, Simes R . Hope, optimism and survival in a randomised trial of chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. Support Care Cancer. 2015; 24(1):401-408. DOI: 10.1007/s00520-015-2792-8. View

11.

Brown A, Sun C, Urbauer D, Bodurka D, Thaker P, Ramondetta L . Feeling powerless: Locus of control as a potential target for supportive care interventions to increase quality of life and decrease anxiety in ovarian cancer patients. Gynecol Oncol. 2015; 138(2):388-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2015.05.005. View

12.

Turan Kavradim S, Ozer Z, Bozcuk H . Hope in people with cancer: a multivariate analysis from Turkey. J Adv Nurs. 2012; 69(5):1183-96. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06110.x. View

13.

Zhang J, Gao W, Wang P, Wu Z . Relationships among hope, coping style and social support for breast cancer patients. Chin Med J (Engl). 2010; 123(17):2331-5. View

14.

Herth K . Abbreviated instrument to measure hope: development and psychometric evaluation. J Adv Nurs. 1992; 17(10):1251-9. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.1992.tb01843.x. View

15.

Snyder C, Harris C, ANDERSON J, Holleran S, Irving L, Sigmon S . The will and the ways: development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1991; 60(4):570-85. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.60.4.570. View

16.

Snyder C, Sympson S, Ybasco F, Borders T, Babyak M, Higgins R . Development and validation of the State Hope Scale. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1996; 70(2):321-35. DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.70.2.321. View

17.

Salimi H, Fakhar H, Hadizadeh M, Akbari M, Izadi N, MohamadiRad R . Hope therapy in cancer patients: a systematic review. Support Care Cancer. 2022; 30(6):4675-4685. DOI: 10.1007/s00520-022-06831-y. View

18.

Martinsson L, Axelsson B, Melin-Johansson C . Patients' perspectives on information from physicians during palliative chemotherapy: A qualitative study. Palliat Support Care. 2015; 14(5):495-502. DOI: 10.1017/S1478951515001200. View

19.

Hsu T, Lu M, Tsou T, Lin C . The relationship of pain, uncertainty, and hope in Taiwanese lung cancer patients. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2003; 26(3):835-42. DOI: 10.1016/s0885-3924(03)00257-4. View

20.

Gallagher M, Long L, Phillips C . Hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analytic review of the protective effects of positive expectancies. J Clin Psychol. 2019; 76(3):329-355. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22882. View