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NCT07318519: VR-CAN
Cognitive Behavioral Theory-assisted Virtual Reality for Chronic CANcer Pain (VR-CAN)
NA trial testing VR-CAN prototype chronic cancer pain therapy -- virtual reality program delivering CBT for chronic cancer pain management in Cancer in 40 participants. Currently enrolling.
1 December 2026
Quick facts
| Lead sponsor | Medstar Health Research Institute |
|---|---|
| Phase | NA |
| Status | Recruiting now |
| Study type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Allocation | randomized |
| Design | parallel |
| Masking | none |
| Primary purpose | device feasibility |
| Enrollment | 40 |
| Start date | 1 July 2025 |
| Primary completion | 1 December 2026 |
| Estimated completion | 31 May 2027 |
| Sites | 2 locations across United States |
Drugs / interventions tested
- VR-CAN prototype chronic cancer pain therapy -- virtual reality program delivering CBT for chronic cancer pain management
- Active Control -- two-dimensional tablet-delivered intervention
Conditions studied
- Cancer — all drugs for Cancer →
- Cancer Pain — all drugs for Cancer Pain →
- Chronic Cancer Pain — all drugs for Chronic Cancer Pain →
Sponsor
Medstar Health Research Institute
Who can join
18 and older, any sex, with Cancer or Cancer Pain. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.
Sponsor's own description
While chronic cancer pain affecting as many as 75% of patients is typically addressed using pharmacologic interventions, experts and patients alike support maximizing any relevant non-pharmacologic interventions as well, such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Virtual reality, a novel technology that can temporarily immerse users in a calm, pleasant environment, has been increasingly shown to facilitate improvement in different acute and chronic pain syndromes by providing distraction from pain and lowering pain sensation. To address the significant needs of patients living with chronic cancer pain, we aim to develop and pilot test a prototype device that will leverage cognitive behavioral therapy principles to deliver a novel virtual reality pain therapy. The investigators will do this through the following steps: Step 1. Develop and refine a CBT-assisted VR prototype for patients with chronic cancer pain (VR-CAN). Step 2. Conduct a randomized controlled trial to examine the feasibility, acceptability, usability, safety, and initial clinical impact of the developed VR-CAN prototype compared to a tablet-based two-dimensional video control group. Step 3. Collect and evaluate qualitative post-intervention data on VR-CAN participants' preferences, thoughts, and feelings about the VR-CAN technology and protocol to optimize for a future, larger, fully powered randomized controlled trial.
Publications & conference data
No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.
Verify or expand the search:
- PubMed search for NCT07318519
- Europe PMC full search
- ASCO Meeting Library
- ESMO Meeting Library
- bioRxiv preprints
- medRxiv preprints
- Google Scholar
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Verify against primary sources
- ClinicalTrials.gov — authoritative US registry record
- WHO ICTRP — international registry index
- EU Clinical Trials Register
- Sponsor press releases (Google)
- Trial protocol + status: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07318519 (US National Library of Medicine, public domain)
- Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
- Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by Medstar Health Research Institute
- Last refreshed: 6 January 2026
Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT07318519.
Primary sources · FDA · ClinicalTrials.gov · EMA · SEC EDGAR · ChEMBL · Wikidata · full sourcing