Uçgun Tuğçe, Çitak Ebru Akgün
Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey.
Support Care Cancer. 2025 Jul 9;33(8):672. doi: 10.1007/s00520-025-09738-6.
This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of VR interventions in managing symptoms and improving well-being among pediatric and adult cancer patients.
In this study, between 2019 and 2024, randomized controlled studies were searched through PubMed (MEDLINE), EBSCO, and SCOPUS. MeSH (Medical Subjects Headings) were searched for keywords, and Boolean connectors were used to search for the keywords "virtual reality" AND ("cancer" OR "cancer patients"). Only randomized controlled trials focused specifically on symptom management and published in English were included in this systematic review. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools, and The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0 (RoB 2) was used to evaluate the risk of bias in randomized trials. The study is registered in PROSPERO with the registration number CRD42024582573.
A total of 637 articles were identified. After eliminating studies with repetitive and inappropriate subject titles, content, methods, or samples, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among them, seven studies addressed pediatric populations and eight focused on adult patients. Quality appraisal indicated that four studies demonstrated strong methodological rigor, while the remaining eleven were rated as moderate. The included studies reported that VR interventions were effective in managing a wide range of physical symptoms (e.g., pain, nausea, fatigue, sleep quality, and vital signs) and psychological symptoms (e.g., anxiety, fear, depression, mood changes, and overall well-being) in both pediatric and adult cancer patients.
Through a systematic review of 15 studies, our findings underscore VR's effectiveness in overall psychological well-being and comfort among pediatric and adult cancer patients. These results highlight VR as a valuable tool in comprehensive cancer care, emphasizing its potential to alleviate symptoms and enhance the quality of life in this population.
本系统评价旨在评估虚拟现实（VR）干预措施在管理儿科和成年癌症患者症状及改善其幸福感方面的有效性。
在本研究中，于2019年至2024年期间，通过PubMed（MEDLINE）、EBSCO和SCOPUS检索随机对照研究。使用医学主题词（MeSH）检索关键词，并使用布尔连接词检索关键词“虚拟现实”以及（“癌症”或“癌症患者”）。本系统评价仅纳入专门针对症状管理且以英文发表的随机对照试验。使用乔安娜·布里格斯研究所（JBI）的批判性评价工具评估研究质量，并使用Cochrane偏倚风险工具2.0（RoB 2）评估随机试验中的偏倚风险。该研究已在PROSPERO注册，注册号为CRD42024582573。
共识别出637篇文章。在排除主题标题、内容、方法或样本重复及不适当的研究后，15项研究符合纳入标准。其中，7项研究针对儿科人群，8项聚焦于成年患者。质量评估表明，4项研究显示出较强的方法学严谨性，其余11项被评为中等。纳入的研究报告称，VR干预措施在管理儿科和成年癌症患者的多种身体症状（如疼痛、恶心、疲劳、睡眠质量和生命体征）以及心理症状（如焦虑、恐惧、抑郁、情绪变化和总体幸福感）方面有效。
通过对15项研究的系统评价，我们的研究结果强调了VR在儿科和成年癌症患者总体心理健康和舒适度方面的有效性。这些结果突出了VR作为综合癌症护理中有价值工具的地位，强调了其在减轻该人群症状和提高生活质量方面的潜力。
