1898P - Efficacy of virtual reality-based interventions in cancer-related symptom management in AYA's: A systematic review

Background

Over the last decade there has been increased number of adolescent and young adults undergoing cancer-related treatments due to increased number of cancer diagnosis. For cancer patients, VR has been shown to be more effective than other forms of distraction for relieving anxiety, depression, and fatigue during chemotherapy. There is also a great variation of VR environments described in the literature from game playing to relaxing environment settings in nature.

Methods

The review was performed according PRISMA guideliness using search terms related to digital health, virtual reality, neoplasm, cancer, adolescent, young adults, treatment, oncology, home care, virtual environments to identify studies indexed in: MEDLINE(Ovid), PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL in English language published from 2012-2022., in cancer patients aged 18 - 25 years old.

Results

The search yielded 823 initial records, including randomized controlled and case-controlled trials. For cancer patients, VR has been shown to be more effective than other forms of distraction for relieving anxiety, depression, and fatigue during chemotherapy. There is also a great variation of VR environments described in the literature from game playing to relaxing environment settings in nature. However there is not sufficient literature describing evidence in home-based settings of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or any other oncology active treatments. Patients using HADS-D on average, had a 15% decrease in depression, 13% decrease in general anxiety after receiving the VR intervention. Their perception of pain decreased by 18%. Results were supported by the objective measures.

Conclusions

The availability of affordable commercial VR hardware has paralleled a growing interest in the use of the technology in the health sector. In the context of cancer care, there is a small but growing body of research into the use of VR technology. Findings hold significant potential for improving the support and care of cancer patients in remote settings. Key insights contribute to the advancement of patient-centered care strategies, fostering innovation in telemedicine and enhancing delivery of supportive services to individuals facing cancer diagnoses.

Clinical trial identification

379260.

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.