Objective  To assess the efficacy of hypnotherapy in relieving the pain of patients with cancer and determine the cognition and demand of medical staff and patients to conduct hypnosis.

  Methods  Overall, 120 patients with cancer pain admitted to Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2020 to December 2020 were enrolled. The participants were treated with cognitive hypnosis for 8 weeks. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) scores and Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale (MOS-SS) scores of patients with cancer pain were evaluated after 2, 4, and 8 weeks of hypnotherapy. In total, 354 patients with cancer pain and 301 medical staff in this research programme took the questionnaire on cognition of and demand for hypnotherapy for cancer pain from June 2020 to September 2020.

  Results  Overall, 120 patients with cancer pain received hypnotherapy and completed the 2-week evaluation, among whom 109 (90.8%) completed the 8-week evaluation. NRS scores significantly decreased after 2, 4, and 8 weeks of hypnotherapy (P<0.05). HAMA and HAMD scores significantly decreased (P<0.05) and MOS-SS significantly increased (P<0.05) after 4 and 8 weeks of hypnotherapy. Furthermore, 84.1% of the oncology medical staff believed that it was necessary to provide routine hypnotherapy for cancer pain, while 64.4% of patients with cancer pain responded that they would like to receive hypnotherapy.

  Conclusions  Hypnotherapy could relieve pain and improve anxiety, depression, and sleep statuses of patients with cancer. Strengthening hypnotherapy education for medical staff and patients with cancer is of great importance for the clinical application of hypnotherapy for cancer pain.