Virtual reality: A tool in the treatment of anxiety in stereotaxic radiotherapy?

Stereotaxic radiotherapy (SR) is an effective treatment for many types ofcancer but seems to cause anxiety. The purpose of this study is to determine whether experiencing the medical procedure by using immersive virtual video can reduce preoperative anxiety. The experimental group (n=10) received information about the intervention and was exposed three times to the procedure before the SR. Two immersions took place in the days precedingthe intervention and the third took place just before the SR. The control group (n=10) only received information about the intervention. The STAI Y-A scale was used to measure state anxiety before and after each virtual immersion in the experimental group and just before and after the SR in both groups. We observed a similar decrease in anxiety across groups, which did not differ between them. Despite this result, it is important to point out that the experimental group reported a significant decrease in anxiety after the two immersions of day 1. The third immersion was not accompanied by a decrease of it. In conclusion, virtual reality seems useful in the treatment of preoperative anxiety, but its use is not enough to neutralize patient’s anxiety when approaching treatment