Breathlessness Patterns in Patients With Cancer, COPD and Heart Failure: an fMRI Feasibility Study

Critères d'inclusion

• Age ≥ 18 years and • Followed by the outpatient palliative care clinic of the Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland (HUG) and • Breathlessness at rest \> 2 and \< 8 on the NRS (numeric rating scale 0 to 10) and • Persistent breathlessness (persistent dyspnea for \> 3 weeks despite adequate and maximal medication according to the pathology) and • In a stable clinical condition, i.e., without an episode of acute cardiac, respiratory, and/or neurological failure leading to hospitalization in the previous 4 weeks and • Diagnosis of either HF stage NYHA III-IV, or COPD with dyspnea on the modified MRC scale grade 3-4, or oncological disease with primary or secondary pulmonary involvement Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Volunteers (Control Group) • Age ≥ 18 years and • No respiratory symptoms: dyspnea, cough, wheezing and • No known pulmonary, cardiac, or oncological disease and • Smoking status \< 10 pack-years and • No contraindication to fMRI (Appendix 3) and • Ability to lie flat (supine position) and • No diagnosed psychiatric illness (severe depression, severe anxiety, psychosis, other) or antipsychotic treatment deemed a contraindication for fMRI based on physician judgement and • No neurological disorders according to neurological assessment, including diagnosed dementia (frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, etc.), brain pathology (tumor, stroke, Parkinson's disease, etc.), or epilepsy and • No claustrophobia, acrophobia, photophobia, severe hearing loss, and/or severe visual deficit and • No contraindication to IVR (migraines, photosensitive epilepsy, vertigo)