Many breast cancer survivors experience physical and psychological symptoms (such as pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and lymphedema); functional deficits (such as reduced shoulder range of motion and cognitive impairment); emotional problems (such as fatigue, pain, anxiety, and depression); and other complications such as bleeding, effusion, and flap necrosis. Side effects from breast cancer or treatment can have a significant impact on the quality of life (QoL) of breast cancer survivors.
Anxiety is present in about 10% of people during chemotherapy, while one-third of people with depression also show clinically significant anxiety states.
Pain occurs in 90% of patients treated with chemotherapy. Pain includes that produced by the neurotoxic action of antiblastic drugs, mechanical pressure of the tumor mass, metastases and pain in the phantom limb.
Over the last two decades, virtual reality (VR), has shown efficacy as a distraction tool to alleviate pain and distress during medical procedures. The need of this study is developed from the lack in the quantitative knowledge and information in the published studies about the effect of virtual reality on pain and anxiety in cancer patient during chemotherapy.
