Oncological treatments are responsible for many of the physical changes (aesthetic and functional) associated with cancer. Because of this, cancer patients are at high risk of developing mental health problems. The aim of this study is to propose an innovative Virtual Reality (VR) training that uses a somatic technique (i.e., embodiment) to create a bridge with the bodily dimension of cancer. After undergoing a psycho-educational procedure, a combination of exposure, out-of-body experience, and body swapping will gradually train the patient to cope with cancer-related difficulties, increasing stress tolerance, and patient empowerment. The most engaging step of this advanced form of Stress Inoculation Training is the body swapping experience, which will guide the patient in embodying a resilient cancer patient who is facing similar difficulties. Through the VR ability to simulate the human brain functioning, and the potential of embodiment to hook to the somatic dimension of illness, we expect that once the concepts endured through the patient’s experience of resilience are triggered, the patient will be more prone to implement functional coping strategies in real life, reaching empowerment and adjusting to the post-treatment difficulties. When the scenarios are built and the training tested, our intervention could be used to support patients with different oncological diseases and who are treated in different cancer hospitals, as well as patients with other non-oncological problems (e.g., social anxiety). Future research should focus on using our paradigm for other clinical populations, and supporting cancer patients in coping with different distressing situations.

Objective The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and body image distress in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), considering relevant psychological variables (i.e., coping strategies, social anxiety symptoms, self-esteem, intolerance of uncertainty, pain, and distress). We also aimed to explore gender differences in patients with HNC in terms of relevant psychological variables in HNC. Methods Fifty-one HNC patients (37 males and 14 females) completed self-report questionnaires to assess body image distress, physical and mental QoL, and relevant psychological variables in HNC (coping strategies, social anxiety symptoms, self-esteem, intolerance of uncertainty, pain, and distress) before undergoing treatment. Pearson’s correlations and four-step hierarchical regressions were performed to assess the relationship between body image distress, QoL, and the abovementioned psychological variables, while one-way analyses of variance and one-way analysis of covariance were employed to assess gender differences. Results Physical QoL was associated with body image distress above and beyond disease duration, distress, coping strategies, pain, mental QoL, and self-esteem, while mental QoL was associated with pain above and beyond distress, coping strategies, physical QoL, self-esteem, and body image distress. Concerning gender differences, females scored higher than males on most of the explored psychological variables, except for physical QoL and intolerance of uncertainty, and showed lower mental QoL and self-esteem than males. Conclusion Body image distress and pain emerged as negatively associated with QoL, and almost all the explored psychological variables differed among genders. Psychological interventions targeting body image distress and pain should be promoted in patients with HNC to increase their QoL, while keeping gender differences in mind.