A new study from Japan reveals that virtual reality (VR) therapy can help people with terminal cancer. This special treatment, called Virtual Reality Palliative Therapy, aims to make people in advanced cancer stages feel better both physically and mentally. Over 128 cancer patients, with diagnoses including lung, breast, rectum and prostate cancers, participated in the study at Shatin Hospital in Hong Kong, Japan, between November 2022 and September 2023.<\/p>\n
Led by a team of researchers, the program under scrutiny was the Flourishing-Life-of-Wish Virtual Reality Relaxation Therapy (FLOW-VRT-Relaxation), developed in 2020. The findings were published in the Frontiers Medical Technology journal.<\/p>\n
Olive Woo, a student and research assistant at the University of Hong Kong, helped in creating the VR therapy. She said this therapy helps patients learn relaxing breathing exercises using immersive experiences. This can lower stress, slow down heart rate and reduce blood pressure.<\/p>\n
During the VR sessions, patients wear headsets and are taken to peaceful 360\u00b0 landscapes. This makes them feel happy, involved as well as proud.<\/p>\n
In the study, some patients tried VR relaxation therapy, while others got regular symptom management coaching. Using the Cantonese version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (CESAS), patients evaluated their experiences, measuring symptoms such as pain, depression, and anxiety. The results were striking.<\/p>\n
Patients receiving VR therapy reported substantial improvements in both physical and emotional symptoms compared to their counterparts. Scores on the CESAS questionnaire revealed a remarkable decrease in physical symptoms by 26.6% and emotional symptoms by 47.4% among VR therapy recipients.<\/p>\n
The study found that VR therapy can help cancer patients in palliative care feel better. Woo added that it is also cheap and can be used a lot. This makes it a great addition to regular treatments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"