IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT OF HYPNOTIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES IN THE CARE OF ONCOLOGY PATIENTS

M. Muro¹, P. Torrisi², F. Fidone³, M.T. Rinarelli³, F. Fasano⁴, B. Grangetto⁵, C. Cusimano⁵, R. Natale⁶, E. Filannino⁷, G. Marietta⁸, A. Brero⁹ | ¹Consulente esperto in Ipnosi Clinica; Presidente ASIECI, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy; ²Infermiere Coordinatore Poliambulatori, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy; ³Infermiere Poliambulatori, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy; ⁴Infermiere Endoscopia Digestiva, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy; ⁵Infermiere Area Chirurgica, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy; ⁶Infermiere Radiodiagnostica, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy; ⁷Infermiere Day Hospital Oncologico, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy; ⁸Infermiere Area Medica, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy; ⁹Infermiere Area Ricerca, Istituto di Candiolo, FPO-IRCCS (ora INOC), Candiolo (Torino), Italy

Introduction. Quality of life is an increasingly central goal in cancer care, shifting professionals from curing to caring. After a pilot phase in the Breast Unit, since 2023 a project has implemented hypnotic communication (HC) techniques across Surgery, Medical Oncology and Day Hospital, Radiology and Radiotherapy, Outpatient Clinics and Digestive Endoscopy. HC is the conscious use of neurolinguistic mechanisms that generate mental images, reverberate in the body and modify the patient’s experience (1).
Methods. HC was applied as a technique complementary to standard care across multiple settings. Tools included informed consent, operator data-collection sheets and patient questionnaires administered before and after each procedure to measure anxiety, pain and perception of the care experience through literature-validated scales (VAS-A, NRS, 0-10 satisfaction index). The only exclusion criterion was severe cognitive impairment. Enrolment occurred through clinical need (physician, nurse or patient) or clinical studies. From 2023 to September 2025, 250 patients were followed by 9 clinical-hypnotist nurses.
Results. Among 100 patients undergoing outpatient procedures (bone biopsy, diagnostic hysteroscopy, prostate biopsy, colonoscopy, gastroscopy, radiotherapy, CT/MRI) with HC, perceived anxiety decreased in 72% of cases and was unchanged in 28%. During bone biopsy, pain measured on the NRS was consistently lower in patients treated with HC than in those without. The care-experience satisfaction index (0-10) was high across prostate biopsy, diagnostic hysteroscopy and bone biopsy. In a representative case, a 55-year-old man with pre-operative anxiety (VAS-A 9/10) followed through five HC sessions across endoscopy, surgery and ward reported sustained well-being over his 16-day pathway. The ongoing HYCapp randomized controlled trial on prostate biopsy had enrolled 85 of 98 patients by September 2025.
Conclusions. HC strengthened the therapeutic alliance and continuity of care across settings, generating a dynamic, expanding care network. These results are consistent with ASCO recommendations on integrative therapies for the control of anxiety and procedural pain (2). Current reviews in oncology and haematology call for studies of greater methodological rigour (3,4); accordingly, new trials (HYPNOBOM; clinical hypnosis versus sedation in colonoscopy; and the CT-guided lung-biopsy BREATHE study) are being designed at FPO-IRCCS Candiolo.