VR-Integrated Rehab for Cancer Patients Shows Potential in Research Review

Oncology researchers using Virtual Reality (VR) in the treatment of cancer patients have published a review of the existing literature regarding the application of this technology for the rehabilitation of cancer survivors. 

Published in the journal Cancers, the study was conducted by a multidisciplinary research group coordinated by Professor Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Siena, Italy, Director of the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, and President of the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) at Temple University.

Through an analysis of the selected studies, the research group reported the current evidence on the possible role of VR-integrated rehabilitation in the treatment of the long-term consequences of oncological diseases such as chronic pain, chronic fatigue, polyneuropathies secondary to chemotherapy, and motor deficits resulting from surgical interventions. 

Study authors include: Prof. Michelino De Laurentiis, Director of the Department of Breast and Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Institute IRCCS G. Pascale Foundation, Naples; Prof. Giuseppe De Pietro, Director of the High Performance Computing and Networking Institute of the CNR; Prof. Andrea Chirico, Department of Developmental and Socialization Psychology of the University of Rome La Sapienza; and Dr. Antonio Melillo, first author of the paper, psychiatry resident at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli.

The group also highlighted the innovativeness of this technology and its potential applications in the field of oncological rehabilitation and telemedicine with a view to patient-tailored rehabilitation care, and personalization of programs and tools better suited to the specific needs of cancer patients.

 

About the Sbarro Health Research Organization

The Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) is non-profit charity committed to funding excellence in basic genetic research to cure and diagnose cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other chronic illnesses and to foster the training of young doctors in a spirit of professionalism and humanism. To learn more about the SHRO please visit www.shro.org