Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Systems for Cancer Survivors: A Narrative Review of the Literature

SIMPLE SUMMARY: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review aiming to assess the impact of VR on the rehabilitation care of cancer survivors. We conducted a general review of the current evidence on the efficacy of virtual reality rehabilitation (VRR) systems on cancer-related impairments as retrieved through a systematic search of the main research databases. VRR systems may improve adherence to rehabilitation training programs and be better tailored to cancer patients’ needs, but more data is needed. ABSTRACT: Rehabilitation plays a crucial role in cancer care, as the functioning of cancer survivors is frequently compromised by impairments that can result from the disease itself but also from the long-term sequelae of the treatment. Nevertheless, the current literature shows that only a minority of patients receive physical and/or cognitive rehabilitation. This lack of rehabilitative care is a consequence of many factors, one of which includes the transportation issues linked to disability that limit the patient’s access to rehabilitation facilities. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has further shown the benefits of improving telemedicine and home-based rehabilitative interventions to facilitate the delivery of rehabilitation programs when attendance at healthcare facilities is an obstacle. In recent years, researchers have been investigating the benefits of the application of virtual reality to rehabilitation. Virtual reality is shown to improve adherence and training intensity through gamification, allow the replication of real-life scenarios, and stimulate patients in a multimodal manner. In our present work, we offer an overview of the present literature on virtual reality-implemented cancer rehabilitation. The existence of wide margins for technological development allows us to expect further improvements, but more randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the hypothesis that VRR may improve adherence rates and facilitate telerehabilitation.