Effect of Hypnosis and Virtual Reality on Anxiety During Treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

This is a pilot study comparing 3 arms (standard care with hypnosis / standard care with virtual reality / standard care alone), aimed at measuring the effect on anxiety during the induction treatment. Acute myeloid leukemia is considered an oncological emergency that requires chemotherapy treatment with a high risk of serious adverse effects due to prolonged bone marrow failure or drug toxicity. This situation is very stressful for patients, who must cope with the initial symptoms, the diagnosis of a serious cancer, an urgent hospitalization (sometimes in intensive care) and prolonged hospitalization, invasive procedures for diagnosis and initiation of treatment, and intensive chemotherapy requiring protective isolation to contain the risk of life-threatening infection. Added to this care context is the breakdown of family ties as well as socio-professional ties, generating major anxiety and a risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (symptoms, which are common in acute myeloid leukemia. The hypothesis of our study is that hypnosis and virtual reality sessions combined with standard care could reduce anxiety and enhance chemotherapy treatment in acute myeloid leukemia patients when they first learn of their diagnosis.