Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Plus Virtual Reality Help Manage Cancer-Related Pain
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 2, 2025 -- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fINRS) can classify pain, and virtual reality (VR) can reduce cancer-related pain, according to a study published online March 15 in Scientific Reports.
Somayeh B. Shafiei, Ph.D., from the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, and colleagues identified brain-based pain biomarkers and classified pain severity in cancer patients using resting-state fNIRS (rs-fNIRS) data and multinomial logistic regression (MLR). Participants included healthy individuals who underwent rs-fNIRS recording without VR (group A), cancer patients who underwent rs-fNIRS recording before and after engaging in the Oceania relaxation VR program (group B), and cancer patients who underwent rs-fNIRS without VR (group C). The FACES Pain Scale-Revised was used to self-report pain severity. fNIRS data were analyzed with MLR and pain was categorized into none/mild (0 to 4), moderate (5 to 7), and severe (8 to 10).
The researchers found that the MLR model classified pain severity in an unseen test group, achieving an accuracy of 74 percent using the leave-one-participant-out technique and repeated across all participants. Pain intensity was significantly reduced with VR, with significant changes seen in brain functional connectivity patterns. Pain reductions exceeding the clinically relevant threshold of 30 percent were achieved by 75.61 percent of patients.
"Our study demonstrates the effect of VR in reducing perceived pain severity among cancer patients, highlighting VR's potential as a noninvasive tool and nonpharmacological method for pain management," the authors write. "The significant changes in functional connectivity observed after VR intervention suggest that VR may influence pain perception through modulation of pain-related neural circuits."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Outcomes With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Similar for Older, Younger Patients
TUESDAY, April 29, 2025 -- Patients with cancer aged 65 years and older receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) derive similar clinical outcomes as younger patients...
Prevalence of Most Cancer Risk Factors Unchanged Before, After Pandemic
THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- Smoking rates continued to decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, but other major risk factors for cancer remained stable, according to a study...
Cancer Death Rates Higher for Children in Neighborhoods With Persistent Poverty
MONDAY, April 21, 2025 -- The risk for cancer death is higher among children diagnosed in neighborhoods marked by persistent poverty, according to a study published online April...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.