Evaluating the Feasibility of a Digital Therapeutic Program for Patients With Cancer During Active Treatment: Pre-Post Interventional Study

Abstract

Background Increasing evidence shows that lifestyle interventions can improve the symptoms, quality of life (QoL), and even overall survival of patients with cancer. Digital therapeutics (DTx) can help implement behavioral modifications and empower patients through education, lifestyle support, and remote symptom monitoring. Objective We aimed to test the feasibility of a DTx program for patients with cancer, as measured by engagement, retention, and acceptability. In addition, we explored the effects of the program on cancer-related QoL. Methods We conducted a 4-week single-arm trial in Iceland, where DTx was delivered through a smartphone app. The intervention consisted of patient education about mindfulness, sleep, stress, and nutrition; lifestyle coaching; and the completion of daily missions for tracking physical activity and exercise, reporting patient-reported outcomes (PROs), practicing mindfulness, and logging healthy food intake. Information on program engagement and retention, step goal attainment, as well as PROs were collected throughout the study. QoL was measured using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 at baseline and follow-up. Results In total, 30 patients with cancer undergoing active therapy were enrolled, and 29 registered in the app (23 female, 18 with breast cancer; mean age 52.6, SD 11.5 years). Overall, 97% (28/29) of participants were active in 3 of the 4 weeks and completed the pre- and postprogram questionnaires. The weekly active days (median) were 6.8 (IQR 5.8-6.8), and 72% (21/29) of participants were active at least 5 days a week. Users interacted with the app on average 7.7 (SD 1.9) times per day. On week 1, all 29 participants used the step counter and logged an average of 20,306 steps; 21 (72%) participants reached their step goals of at least 3000 steps per day. On week 4, of the 28 active users, 27 (96%) were still logging their steps, with 19 (68%) reaching their step goals. Of the 28 participants who completed the satisfaction questionnaire, 25 (89%) were likely to recommend the program, 23 (82%) said the program helped them deal with the disease, and 24 (86%) said it helped them remember their medication. QoL assessment showed that the average global health status, functioning, and symptom burden remained stable from baseline to follow-up. In all, 50% (14/28) of participants reported less pain, and the average pain score decreased from 31 (SD 20.1) to 22.6 (SD 23.2; P=.16). There was no significant change in PROs on the quality of sleep, energy, and stress levels from the first to the last week. Conclusions The high retention, engagement, and acceptability found in this study demonstrate that multidisciplinary DTx is feasible for patients with cancer. A longer, full-scale randomized controlled trial is currently being planned to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention.

Measuring What Is Meaningful in Cancer Cachexia Clinical Trials: A Path Forward With Digital Measures of Real-World Physical Behavior

“… 38 Thus far, DHTs have demonstrated feasibility and acceptability for monitoring patients with cancer during treatment. 37 , 39 , 111 , 112 and have been used in assessing treatment effects and benefits. 113 As such, DHTs hold promise in patient-centered drug development, particularly in studying the impact of treatments on physical function, a primary focus in drug trials and multimodal interventional trials for cachexia.…”

Development and Implementation of an eHealth Oncohematonootric Program: Descriptive, Observational, Prospective Cohort Pilot Study

“…There is increasing evidence showing that lifestyle interventions can improve symptoms, quality of life, and even overall survival rates for patients with cancer. Digital interventions can help implement physical-nutritional behavior modifications and empower patients through healthy lifestyle education and support [ 13 ].…”