title: Hope in cancer patients: the relational domain as a crucial factor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hope is crucial for patients with cancer. We explored the determinants of hope in patients with cancer using a questionnaire administered over the course of 1 day to an unselected sample of patients at an Italian cancer center.
  
  
  METHODS
  A team of oncologists, statisticians, and chaplains developed a questionnaire with medical, psychological, spiritual, and religious content. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 320 patients who answered the questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the group of participants, 92.8% had a religious belief. Women, patients with limited formal education, and believers were more hopeful. Patients placed trust in God, their partners and children, scientific research, and doctors. On univariate and multivariate analysis, hope was found sensitive to patients' sharing their experiences with others (including family and friends), their positive perception of the people around them, and their relationship with doctors and nurses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If validated in further studies, these results support the notion that a patient with cancer's sense of hope is sensitive to the quality of relationships with caregivers. This may be important to health care organization and resource allocation.
authors.affiliation: Pastoral Care Unit, IRCCS Foundation National Cancer Institute of Milan, Milan - Italy.
authors.forename: Tullio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Proserpio
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lo Vullo
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Massimino
authors.forename: Carlo Alfredo
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Clerici
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Veneroni
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bresciani
authors.forename: Paolo G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Casali
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bossi
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galmozzi
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierantozzi
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Licitra
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marceglia
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mariani
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012067:Religion; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires