Hope level and quality of life in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy in Northeast China: a cross-sectional study

Objective This study aimed to assess the level of hope among patients with HNC undergoing radiotherapy in coping with cancer and evaluate the association of hope with health-related quality of life. Methods From October 2024 to June 2025, a cross-sectional survey of 201 patients with HNC undergoing radiotherapy from a tertiary hospital in northeastern China was conducted using the general demographic information, Herth Hope Index (HHI) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-H&N). The data were processed by SPSS27.0 software, and use t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear analysis to analyze the data. The writing process of this article follows the STROBE principle. Results The overall hope score of patients with radiotherapy for HNC was 32.78 ± 7.65, which was in the upper-middle level. and the total quality of life (89.64 ± 19.38) score was in the middle level. Participants who were men (t = 0.659, P  < 0.05), had a higher income (F = 5.093, P  < 0.01), and participated in athletic exercise (t = 0.04, P  < 0.05) reported a higher hope score. Hope was significantly positively correlated with quality of life (r = 0.698, P  < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that positive attitudes ( β  = 0.395, P  < 0.01), positive actions ( β  = 0.263, P  < 0.01), and a history of chronic diseases ( β  = 0.157, P  < 0.05) have a significant impact on quality of life. Conclusion The hope and quality of life of HNC patients undergoing radiation therapy still need to be improved. The higher the level of individual hope, the higher the quality of life score in terms of physiological status, emotional status, social functioning and environmental adaptation. It is recommended that Chinese nurses pay attention to the psychological state of patient with radiotherapy for HNC, incorporate the hope scale into clinical practice, and help nurses identify patients at risk of losing hope and intervene early to prevent adverse outcomes.