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Posted 12-10-99
CLEVELAND -- Susan Schneider, an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, has received funding to study the use of virtual reality to help breast cancer patients tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy. The $14,330 grant from the American Cancer Society came through the CWRU cancer center, a joint venture with University Hospitals of Cleveland.
The year-long study will involve 46 breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Each will be given a virtual reality distraction intervention. Schneider will conduct several tests to assess whether the distraction eased the stress of common side effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea, fatigue, and anxiety, and whether it had a lasting effect.
"A major focus of oncology nursing is to help patients tolerate necessary treatments," she says. "I am excited about this opportunity to test the effectiveness of this innovative intervention."
Virtual reality intervention uses a headset that projects an image with corresponding sound and touch. The patient's sense of reality is enhanced through the ability to "touch" and manipulate the image with the computer mouse. The interactive process can convey the sense that one is actually experiencing the computer-generated scenario.
Chemotherapy is routinely prescribed to combat breast cancer, which is the leading cause of mortality among women age 30-50. Such therapy can increase the woman's chance for survival, but some patients have difficulty adhering to the regimen because the side effects are often distressful. As such, finding ways to make this treatment more tolerable is considered critical, Schneider noted.
The American Cancer Society is a national organization made up of over two million members in 3,400 local units. In efforts to conquer cancer, the non-profit group has allocated over $2 billion to research efforts since its inception in 1946. In 1997 alone, the organization invested $91 million in research.
The cancer center is the only center in northern Ohio which the National Institutes of Health has designated as a comprehensive cancer center. In conjunction with CWRU, the center has been able to provide bone marrow transplantation, breast cancer treatment, liver disease treatment, consultation in both hematology and coagulation disorders, and general oncology treatment.
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