NCT02392728: VE

Virtual Environments in Patients Receiving Treatment for Cancer

Completed NA Last updated 20 July 2020

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) in Mood Disturbances in 50 participants. Completed in 20 January 2020.

Timeline

5 February 2018

Primary endpoint
1 January 2020

20 January 2020

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Cyprus University of Technology
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	crossover
Masking	triple
Primary purpose	supportive care
Enrollment	50
Start date	5 February 2018
Primary completion	1 January 2020
Estimated completion	20 January 2020
Sites	1 location across Cyprus

Drugs / interventions tested

• Immersive Virtual Reality (VR)
• Guided Imagery

Conditions studied

• Mood Disturbances — all drugs for Mood Disturbances →

Sponsor

Cyprus University of Technology

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Mood Disturbances. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

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.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Vs Guided Imagery on mood changes in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment: A crossover trial.
   Ioannou A, Paikousis L, Papastavrou E, Avraamides MN, et al · · 2022 · cited 19× · PMID 36202024 · DOI 10.1016/j.ejon.2022.102188