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Can a video game teach cancer patients to tame their pain?

NCT ID NCT07825051

Symptom relief Sponsor: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are testing Healing Gardens, a mobile game that delivers pain-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and cancer pain education. The study enrolls 46 adults with advanced solid tumors who have chronic pain related to cancer or its treatment. Participants play the story-based game, which covers pain coping skills, ways to reframe negative thoughts, and safe opioid use. The team measures whether patients find the game acceptable and easy to use, and how many complete the modules.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Healing Gardens, a story-led mobile game that teaches pain coping skills and cancer pain education
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a low-cost, at-home way for people with advanced cancer to learn pain coping skills and use pain medicines more safely.
What could go wrong
This is a small feasibility study, so it mainly tests whether patients find the game usable and acceptable, not whether it actually reduces pain. A game may not appeal to everyone, and any pain relief seen here would need confirmation in larger trials.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 46 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Feb 2027

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Jun 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years * Patient is diagnosed with a locally advanced or metastatic solid tumor malignancy, either undergoing active treatment or receiving treatment for an advanced cancer or are receiving supportive/palliative care at DFCI * Chronic pain related to cancer or treatment (\> pain score of 4 on a 0-10 scale on average over the past two weeks, Numeric Rating Scale) * Own/use a compatible device (e.g., smartphone, laptop) Exclusion Criteria: * Patients in survivorship: patients who have completed their treatment regimens, are not actively receiving curative or palliative treatment for an advanced cancer, or have a cancer that is in remission * Cognitive impairment that would interfere with study participation, as judged by the treating clinician (e.g. delirium, dementia) * Inability to speak English (the intervention has not yet been translated to other languages) * Enrolled in hospice * Currently hospitalized * Pain primarily related to a recent surgery (within the last 2 weeks) * Conditions that hinder device use (e.g., vision impairment) * We will exclude adults who are unable to consent, individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers), pregnant women, and prisoners.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cancer Cancer Pain Chronic Pain chronic pain syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Advanced cancer Cancer pain Chronic pain

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at South Shore

    Weymouth, Massachusetts, 02190, United States

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