Background/Objectives: Cancer patients often experience psychological and physical symptoms that can significantly impact their quality of life and treatment outcomes. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising complementary approach to standard cancer care. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of VR research in oncology, it seems essential to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge in this field. Therefore, this umbrella review aimed to synthesize evidence from all relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses on VR-based interventions for improving psychological and physical well-being among cancer patients. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in four databases (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Medline, Web of Science, PsycInfo) from inception to August 2023. We included systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses that evaluated the effects of VR-based interventions on any health-related outcomes in cancer patients. The methodological quality of included reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR-2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews) tool. Results: Eighteen individual systematic reviews including ten performed meta-analyses were included, with sample sizes ranging from 225 to 842 participants. VR-based interventions were categorized into three main types: distraction, rehabilitation, and education. The interventions varied significantly in terms of content, equipment, setting, and duration. The most frequent use of VR is one-off exposure in hospital settings to distract patients from anticancer treatment and painful procedures, with natural or game-based content. The mechanism most commonly proposed to explain the effectiveness of VR involves attentional redirection. Conclusions: This umbrella review suggests that VR-based interventions may be effective in improving psychological outcomes in cancer patients, particularly anxiety, pain, and depression. However, high heterogeneity across studies and mixed results for some outcomes indicate a need for further high-quality research. Moreover, a more refined analysis of VR-based interventions is essential to explore the specific mechanisms of action associated with each type. This approach would enable us to establish the optimal characteristics of each intervention and their long-term effects.
背景/目的：癌症患者常经历显著影响生活质量和治疗结果的心理与躯体症状。虚拟现实技术已成为标准癌症护理中一种前景广阔的补充疗法。鉴于肿瘤学领域虚拟现实研究的快速发展态势，系统梳理该领域的知识现状显得尤为重要。为此，本伞状综述旨在整合所有相关系统评价和荟萃分析中关于虚拟现实干预改善癌症患者心理与躯体健康的证据。方法：在四大数据库（Cochrane系统评价数据库、Medline、Web of Science、PsycInfo）中开展全面检索，时间范围从建库至2023年8月。我们纳入了评估虚拟现实干预对癌症患者任何健康相关结局影响的系统评价（无论是否包含荟萃分析）。采用AMSTAR-2（系统评价方法学质量评估工具）对纳入文献进行方法学质量评价。结果：共纳入18篇系统评价（其中10篇包含荟萃分析），样本量范围225至842人。虚拟现实干预主要分为三类：注意力分散型、康复训练型和健康教育型。各类干预在内容设置、设备配置、实施场景和持续时间方面存在显著差异。目前最常用的虚拟现实干预是在医院环境中通过自然景观或游戏化内容进行单次暴露，以分散患者对抗癌治疗及疼痛性操作的注意力。解释虚拟现实有效性的机制最常涉及注意力转移理论。结论：本伞状综述表明，虚拟现实干预可能有效改善癌症患者的心理结局，特别是在缓解焦虑、疼痛和抑郁方面。然而，研究间的高度异质性及部分结局指标的矛盾结果提示仍需开展更高质量的研究。此外，有必要对虚拟现实干预进行更精细化的分析，以探索不同类型干预的具体作用机制。这种方法将有助于确立各类干预的最佳实施方案及其长期效应。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家