Interest of Virtual Reality on Anxiety Before the Planning CT Scan in Radiotherapy

Brief Summary

In France, according to the National Cancer Institute, it appears that treatments in radiotherapy centers for cancer will increase from 198,000 in 2015 to 239,000 in 2030: this represents 40,000 additional treatments in 15 years. A meta-analysis on radiotherapy indicated that 10 to 20% of patients had clinically significant levels of anxiety at the beginning of radiotherapy. Indeed, several factors generate this tension, above all the new or unfamiliar environment, the imposing and noisy scanner, the restraints that are difficult to bear or the nudity required for the examination. This anxiety has an impact on performance of the planning CT scan examination, an essential step for the future treatment. The radiotherapy unit of the Centre Hospitalier Departemental de Vendee has put in place resources to reduce anxiety felt during treatment sessions (music therapy, conversational hypnosis, sophrology or aromatherapy). However, nothing has been put in place to reduce the anxiety of patients in the period preceding the planning CT scan. Virtual reality software seems to be a good alternative that requires fewer human resources. The research hypothesis is that patients who have benefited from the virtual reality software will have a lower level of anxiety before the planning CT scan than patients who have not benefited from virtual reality.

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