Researchers at Buffalo, N.Y.-based Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified an effective pain management strategy for patients with cancer, according to a study published March 15 in Scientific Reports.
When combining functional, near-infrared, spectroscopy headcaps and virtual reality headsets, 75% of cancer patients in the study reported experiencing pain relief.
The use of fNIRS head caps enabled physicians to measure changes in blood oxygenation and deoxygenation, which helped distinguish the different levels of pain patients were experiencing. The VR headsets allowed patients to explore underwater scenes, influencing their perception of pain, according to a March 25 news release from the cancer center.
Two of the study’s lead researchers from Roswell Park, Oscar de Leon-Casasola, MD, chief of pain medicine, and Somayeh Shafiei, PhD, assistant professor of oncology in the department of urology, shared more details about the study with Becker’s, including its implications for the future of cancer care.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What inspired this approach? How does it differ from traditional pain assessment or management strategies in cancer care?
Dr. Oscar de Leon-Casasola: Currently, pain assessment relies on self-reported measures, where patients rate the severity and nature of their pain. These methods can be inconsistent and/or unreliable due to their subject-dependent nature, leading to potential biases in diagnosis.
These methods are limited, particularly for patients who are unable to communicate effectively or who have cognitive or decision-making impairments and in those where psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety and catastrophizing amplify the expression of pain.
Patients may also underreport their pain due to stigma or reluctance to burden healthcare providers or overreport it in some cases to seek opioids for misuse.
The approach we propose addresses these limitations by using patients’ brain activity to objectively predict perceived pain severity. This method offers a more inclusive alternative to traditional self-report-based assessments.
Q: More than 75% of participants who used the VR intervention reported a decrease in pain. Can you share more about the clinical significance of these findings and how this non-drug intervention could potentially reduce reliance on opioids?
Dr. Somayeh Shafiei: More than 75% of participants experienced more than 30% pain relief, which is widely recognized as the benchmark for clinically significant improvement. This level of pain reduction is often associated with enhanced quality of life, improved functionality and overall well-being in clinical settings.
We also observed significant changes in patients’ brain functional connectivity patterns after VR use, indicating a VR effect on neural communication across brain regions involved in pain processing. These changes indicate that VR may contribute to pain relief by modulating connectivity in neural circuits associated with the cognitive and emotional components of pain.
As a non-pharmacological approach, VR can serve as a complementary strategy to traditional drug-based treatments. Its immersive nature effectively captures patients’ attention, creating a strong distraction from pain. By shifting cognitive resources away from pain processing, VR reduces the perceived intensity of pain and may help lower reliance on opioids for pain management.
Q: Do you foresee this combination of neuroimaging and VR therapy being incorporated into standard cancer care protocols in the near (or distant) future?
SS: There is strong potential for integrating neuroimaging and VR therapy into standard cancer care protocols, particularly as the field moves toward more personalized and non-invasive approaches to symptom management. VR has already demonstrated clinical promise as an effective, low-risk and scalable intervention for pain relief. Combining it with neuroimaging provides valuable information about treatment response, which could help tailor interventions to individual patients.
However, widespread adoption in clinical settings will require further validation through larger-scale and longitudinal studies, as well as seamless integration into existing clinical workflows, as there is a cost implication from the equipment. As evidence continues to grow and the technology becomes more accessible, we believe this combination could become a valuable component of supportive cancer care — initially as a complementary therapy and potentially as part of standard care protocols in the longer term.
Q: Beyond pain management, how do you see this approach affecting other areas of cancer care?
OL: By providing objective assessments of pain severity and information about patients’ brain responses to interventions like VR, pain management can be enhanced — potentially leading to better clinical outcomes and more personalized care strategies.
Reducing pain and psychological distress through non-pharmacological interventions can enhance patient experience and satisfaction, which are increasingly recognized as core components of quality cancer care. Better symptom control may also contribute to improved cancer treatment adherence and lower readmission rates by minimizing complications or crisis-driven hospital visits.
