Extended reality in supporting cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review on the benefits and challenges across the cancer care continuum

PURPOSE: Our study explores the role of extended reality (XR) in supporting cancer patients. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted across six electronic databases. We adhered to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) reviews. RESULTS: We included 62 studies. XR technologies were mainly applied during the treatment phase (64.5% of studies), with additional applications in palliative care and during survivorship (33.9%). One study addressed the diagnosis phase, and none supported prevention or early detection. XR showed effective results supporting patients in seven areas: anxiety and stress reduction (n = 40), pain management (n = 19) and symptom tracking (n = 14). Challenges identified related to physical discomfort, technical issues, and user compliance. CONCLUSIONS: XR interventions demonstrate significant potential in improving patient outcomes, particularly in anxiety reduction and symptom management. However, their application remains unevenly distributed across the cancer care continuum.