VR in LCPR
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study of the use of virtual reality to deliver pre-habilitation in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery
IRAS ID
308797
Contact name
Maria Koufali
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer death worldwide. Surgery remains the preferred treatment in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), offering the greatest chance of cure. Resection rates in the UK have increased from around 9% in 2006 to 18% in 2018. Increasing numbers of patients are suitable for surgery, as minimally invasive surgery and robotic techniques are becoming more widely available, however surgical resection is physically and emotionally demanding for patients.
The aim of prehabilitation is to optimise patients’ fitness, nutrition and wellbeing prior to treatment to improve outcomes. Patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer are at risk of post-operative complications, but there is evidence that prehabilitation can reduce the likelihood of adverse outcomes and improve patient satisfaction and experience. There is no consensus as to how prehabilitation should be delivered, but many centres use either a face-to-face group exercise programme or give patients an information leaflet rather than a tailored individual programme. Patient feedback from Nottingham suggests that some patients find attending face-to-face programmes problematic due to difficulties travelling to the sites, and the additional cost associated with this. An additional factor has been the limited time avaiable prior to the required self-isolation period pre-surgery owing to COVID regulations.
It is already known that patients with lung cancer have a high symptom burden and present with reduced levels of physical activity. The COVID pandemic has meant that lung cancer patients are even more deconditioned and have poorer performance status than previously. We propose to use a novel virtual reality (VR) programme, which will include both a tailored exercise programme and psychological support, to provide prehabilitation prior to lung cancer surgery. We want to test the safety and acceptability of this approach and to assess the impact on patient care and outcomes compared to standard care.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/1217
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jan 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion