What Past Studies Say About Virtual Reality in Cancer Care
Original title: Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality, and Extended Reality Applications in Personalized Oncology and Patient-Centered Cancer Care: A Narrative Review.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This looks across many earlier studies rather than running a new one.
This is a review of past studies, not a new treatment result.
The short version
A review of past studies found that virtual reality may help ease worry, pain, and tiredness in people with cancer.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at past studies on virtual reality, or VR, and similar tools in cancer care. They gave the most weight to strong trials and to other reviews.
What they found. Results from 15 trials with 864 patients showed VR greatly lowered worry during chemo. VR also eased tiredness, pain, and depression. In surgery for some tumors, including a brain tumor called glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary, similar tools may help surgeons find the tumor more exactly.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: VR may be a helpful way to ease worry, pain, and tiredness during cancer care. The authors say VR used to help with symptoms is ready for use in clinics. If this interests you, you could ask your care team about it.
What it doesn't mean: This is a review of past studies, not a new study. VR helped with how people felt. It was not shown to treat the tumor itself. The surgery tools still need larger trials at many hospitals before they are proven. Cost and standard ways to use these tools still need work. This is not a cure.
Source: PubMed, September 9, 2026 · Read the original
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