Virtual reality offers calm before the radiation storm
NCT ID NCT06318338
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tested whether a 10-minute virtual reality mindfulness program could help cancer patients relax before their radiation simulation. 25 adults scheduled for radiation planning used a VR headset to practice breathing exercises in a calming virtual environment. The main goal was to see if the approach was feasible, not to prove it reduces anxiety.
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 mindfulness program
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-drug way to help cancer patients feel calmer before radiation treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 25 people, so results may not apply to everyone. It only tested feasibility, not whether it actually reduces anxiety long-term.
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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25 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Finished
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Feb 2025
- 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Able to understand, read or speak English sufficient for signing of informed consent and completion of study assessments 2. Patients scheduled for simulation for radiation treatment planning at Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine (PCAM) 3. Adults, at least 18 years of age 4. Performance Status (ECOG) 0-2 Exclusion Criteria: 1. Prior radiotherapy 2. History of motion sickness, car sickness, vertigo, migraines, or light sensitivity within the last 6 months 3. History of epilepsy and seizures 4. Current nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lightheadedness, monocular vision or hearing loss that is not treated
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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