A Scoping Review of Virtual Reality Technology Utilization in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Background: Virtual reality (VR) technology has shown promise in supporting colorectal cancer (CRC) patients throughout their care journey; however, the evidence concerning its specific applications, intervention characteristics, and clinical outcomes remains scattered. This scoping review aims to systematically map the application domains, intervention features, implementation effects, and current challenges of VR in CRC patients, thereby providing an evidence base for nursing practice and the development of personalised rehabilitation programmes. Methods: Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodological framework for scoping reviews, we systematically searched eight databases (CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library) from their inception to January 26, 2026. Original studies that applied VR technology to patients with colorectal cancer were included. Two independent reviewers performed study selection, data extraction, and analysis. Results: Seven studies published between 2022 and 2025 were included: 4 randomised controlled trials, 2 pilot studies, and 1 mixed-methods study. VR applications covered preoperative education, postoperative rehabilitation, chemotherapy management, and palliative support. Intervention types comprised immersive relaxation/meditation training, VR health education, VR rehabilitation training (interactive exergaming), and multisensory VR simulation. Session durations ranged from 7 to 30 minutes, with frequencies from a single session to twice daily; most intervention periods were single-session or aligned with hospitalisation/ chemotherapy cycles. Six studies reported that VR improved anxiety or emotional state, four noted improvements in physiological parameters, and two reported enhanced comprehension of surgical procedures. No serious adverse events were documented; only two mild cases of motion sickness were reported among the 388 total participants (0.5%), indicating a low overall incidence of VR-related discomfort. Conclusion: The findings indicate that VR interventions may confer preliminary benefits in reducing anxiety, improving mood, and promoting exercise adherence among CRC patients, with the limited available data suggesting a generally acceptable safety profile. However, given the small number of included studies (n=7) and the modest total sample size (N=388), these results must be interpreted with caution. Definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy and safety of VR in this population await confirmation through large-scale, well-powered randomised controlled trials. Future research should prioritise large-scale, multicentre studies with standardised protocols and long-term follow-up to establish robust evidence on the clinical utility of VR interventions across the CRC care continuum.