Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute is employing virtual reality to help patients manage side effects and symptoms of prostate cancer treatment.

Through a Defense Department-funded clinical trial, researchers studied incorporating VR into rehabilitation services, such as physical therapy, at both the Huntsman Cancer Institute and the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, also in Salt Lake City, according to a May 13 news release from the university.

The technology motivated patients' participation through its "gamefied" rehabilitative activities, the researchers wrote in a study published April 8 in Studies in Health Technology and Informatics.

In addition to enhancing motivation, the technology also provides a pathway for patients living in rural areas to access and participate in rehabilitative services.

"[Traveling] long distances for rehabilitation -- particularly on a daily basis -- can quickly become exhausting and discouraging. The time, effort and logistical burden of a round trip to the hospital often lead patients to give up after just a few days," Manish Kohli, MD, Huntsman Cancer Institute oncologist and co-leader of the study, said in the release. "Virtual reality provides an innovative solution to these challenges, allowing patients to engage in rehabilitation exercises from the comfort of their homes."