Last reviewed: November 2026. This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to your cancer care team about any treatment decision.
In cancer care, virtual reality (VR) is not a treatment for the disease. It is studied as supportive care: a way to ease anxiety, pain and fatigue during chemotherapy and procedures. Reviews of the trials point in a hopeful direction but do not fully agree, and all of them ask for better studies.
Key takeaways
- Role: supportive care alongside treatment, not a cancer therapy.
- Adults on chemotherapy: a 2021 review found no significant benefit; a larger 2023 review found less anxiety, depression and fatigue.
- Children: reviews report less pain and anxiety with VR distraction during treatment and procedures.
- Quality: trials are small and varied, so results should be read with caution.
In this guide
How VR is used in cancer care
Most studies use VR as distraction. A patient wears a headset showing a calm scene or a simple game during a chemotherapy infusion, a needle procedure or another stressful part of treatment. The aim is to make the experience easier to tolerate. Researchers typically measure anxiety, pain, fatigue and mood.
Adults having chemotherapy
Two reviews of randomized trials reached different conclusions.
- A 2021 review found six studies with 453 patients in total. On each study’s main outcome, there was no significant difference between VR and the comparison. The authors said the poor quality of the available studies meant their question could not be answered clearly.
- A 2023 review covered 15 trials with 607 adults and 257 children. In adults, immersive VR was associated with significantly lower anxiety, depression and fatigue. The authors still called for more robust trials.
Newer work is narrowing the question. A 2026 meta-analysis of people with gastrointestinal cancers found reductions in anxiety and pain when immersive VR was used during active treatment for at least 20 minutes, and its authors also advise caution in interpreting the results.
Taken together, the fair summary is that VR may help some adults feel better during treatment, but the size and reliability of the effect are not yet settled.
Children and teenagers
In the 2023 review, children having chemotherapy reported significantly less pain and anxiety with immersive VR. A separate 2023 review of pediatric cancer patients concluded that VR distraction reduces pain linked to standard cancer care procedures in children, while stressing the need for more research.
This sits alongside a more cautious finding for children in general, not only those with cancer, covered in our guide to virtual reality for pain management.
Limits of the evidence
- Few, small trials: the 2021 review names the small number of trials, small samples and differing designs as its main limitations.
- Short-term measures: studies mostly record how people feel during or soon after a session.
- Not for everyone: headsets can cause nausea or discomfort in some people, which matters during treatment that already causes nausea.
Questions to ask
- Does this treatment center offer VR during infusions or procedures?
- Can I stop at any point if it makes me feel unwell?
- How are shared headsets cleaned between patients?
For the wider picture, see our guide to virtual reality in healthcare.
Common questions
Does VR help during chemotherapy?
Reviews disagree. A 2021 review found no significant benefit, while a larger 2023 review found less anxiety, depression and fatigue in adults. All call for better trials.
Is VR a treatment for cancer?
No. It is studied as supportive care, to ease anxiety, pain and fatigue during treatment.
Does VR help children with cancer?
Reviews report less pain and anxiety with VR distraction during treatment and procedures, while stressing the need for more research.
Sources
- Czech O, et al. Virtual reality as a chemotherapy support in treatment of anxiety and fatigue in patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis and future research directions. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2021.
- Gautama MSN, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 2023.
- Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Interventions on Symptom Management in Patients With Gastrointestinal Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2026.
- Czech O, et al. Virtual reality in chemotherapy support for the treatment of physical functions, fear, and quality of life in pediatric cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 2023.
