Virtual reality headsets tested to calm cancer patients during radiation
NCT ID NCT06506435
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether watching a virtual reality video about radiotherapy before treatment can lower anxiety in cancer patients. About 150 adults with cancer will be randomly assigned to see a standard 2D video, a first-person VR video, or a third-person VR video. Researchers will measure anxiety levels using a standard questionnaire to see which approach works best.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Virtual reality video (first-person or third-person) and standard 2D informational video
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that virtual reality is a simple, drug-free way to help cancer patients feel less anxious during radiotherapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (150 people) at one hospital, so results may not apply to everyone. The effect may be small or no better than a standard video.
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
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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
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About 150 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: 1. Histologically proven cancer 2. ≥18 years of age 3. Able to speak and read English and/or Spanish 4. Receiving radiotherapy at the University of Miami Exclusion Criteria: 1. Prior radiation therapy 2. Pregnant or nursing women 3. Men or women of childbearing potential who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception 4. Patients unable to consent or are prisoners 5. Participants with impaired decision-making capacity 6. Any serious illness or medical condition that would compromise patient safety during virtual reality as judged by the treating physician 7. Unwilling or unable to watch virtual reality video 8. Unwilling to fill out survey forms
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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University of Miami
RECRUITINGMiami, Florida, 33136, United States
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