NCT02392728

Virtual Environments in Patients Receiving Treatment for Cancer

The Effectiveness of Virtual Environment on the Adverse Psychological Effects in Patients Receiving Treatment for Cancer

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (actual)
• Sponsor: Cyprus University of Technology · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The mood disturbances that lung cancer patients experience during and after chemotherapy have a debilitating effect on their quality of life. The goal of the proposed project is to develop and test an intervention that relies on the use of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) to combat the adverse psychological/emotional consequences of receiving treatment for cancer. Although VR has been used with success to treat various psychological conditions (e.g., phobias, PTSD), its potential in helping cancer patients experience an improved mood and hence better quality of life has not yet been tested. In this project the investigators will first develop the virtual content (e.g., natural scenes) that patients will experience within a Head-Mounted-Display, simulating movement by manipulating a gesture controller. The investigators will then carry out a randomized, double blind, crossover trial with 50 hospitalized cancer patients to test whether they can benefit psychologically and emotionally from their interaction with an immersive environment compared to those who will experience a guided imagery intervention. A positive result will open the route for the future development of affordable self-administered VR solutions for treating the psychological side-effects of cancer treatment.

Detailed description

Although VR has been used with success to treat various psychological conditions (e.g., phobias, PTSD), its potential in helping cancer patients experience an improved mood and hence better quality of life has not yet been tested. In this project the investigators will first develop the virtual content (e.g., natural scenes) that patients will experience within a Head-Mounted-Display, simulating movement by manipulating a gesture controller. The investigators will then carry out a randomized, double blind, crossover trial with 50 hospitalized cancer patients to test whether they can benefit psychologically and emotionally from their interaction with an immersive environment compared to those who will experience a guided imagery intervention. A positive result will open the route for the future development of affordable self-administered VR solutions for treating the psychological side-effects of cancer treatment.

Conditions

• Mood Disturbances

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Immersive Virtual Reality (VR)	Patients in this group will experience the virtual content (e.g., natural scenes) through a Head-Mounted-Display, simulating movement by manipulating a gesture controller. Following a resting period the patients will then experience the guided imagery session (e.g. visual images of pleasant scenery)
BEHAVIORAL	Guided Imagery	Patients in this group will experience the guided imagery (e.g. visual images of pleasant scenery). Following a resting period the patients will then experience the virtual content (e.g., natural scenes) through a Head-Mounted-Display, simulating movement by manipulating a gesture controller

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-02-05
• Primary completion: 2020-01-01
• Completion: 2020-01-20
• First posted: 2015-03-19
• Last updated: 2020-07-20

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Cyprus