Four Interesting Things on Digital Supportive Care in Oncology

Continuous Activity Monitoring During Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy Link: https://www-sciencedirect-com.pitt.idm.oclc.org/science/article/pii/S0360301616336045 Summary: 38 cancer patients, all receiving a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, were outfitted with a commercially available fitness tracker to follow their sleep patterns. The study aimed to see if patients would wear a tracker for 4 continuous weeks, as well as examine the relationship between daily step count and quality of life. Every additional 1000 steps taken per day was associated with a 38% reduction in hospitalizations. However, patients who needed assistance walking (such as a walker or cane) were excluded from the study.

Preventing weight gain in African American breast cancer survivors using smart scales and activity trackers: a randomized controlled pilot study Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11764-016-0571-2 Summary: Breast cancer survivors who gain 5-10% above their pre-diagnosis weight have poorer survival after 2 years. 35 African American women in remission from breast cancer were recruited into a 3 arm study. All arms received an individualized nutrition session and smart scales, Treatment Arm 1 received weekly nutrition and exercise tips, and Treatment Arm 2 received all plus a fitness tracker. After 6 months, 72.7% of women who monitored daily weight and activity with the smart scale and fitness tracker were below baseline weight. 100% of all participants said they would recommend the digital intervention to other breast cancer survivors.

Identifying Early Dehydration Risk with Home-Based Sensors during Radiation Treatment: A Feasibility Study on Patients with Head and Neck Cancer Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3881993/ Summary: Mucositis is a common adverse event associated with chemotherapy for head and neck cancer. Patients with mucositis have trouble maintaining adequate hydration, leading to dangerous dehydration. 50 head and neck cancer patients used an app to record daily blood pressure readings, food and fluid intake, and signs of dehydration (such as urine output). These reports were monitored daily by the healthcare team. Patient-reported nausea, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing were associated with dehydration events (p = 0.004). Patients expressed satisfaction with the digital system and many appreciated the access to their own objective data. ***NOTE: A follow-up study determining if digital monitoring reduces dehydration hospitalizations is in progress***

Use of a Fitness Tracker to Promote Physical Activity in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Link: https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/109/9/djx029/3573360 Summary: Corticosteroid pulse doses, a regular component of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) therapy, are associated with fatigue and sleep disturbances. 17 children with ALL wore Fitbits for 20 days in order to monitor daily step count. A personalized daily and weekly step count goal was determined for each patient. Each day, a nurse contacted the patient or the patient’s family and reported the child’s step count from the previous day. On day 14 of the Fitbit tracking, all participants received a scheduled corticosteroid pulse dose. A strong negative correlation was found between steps per day and overall fatigue (r = -0.66, p = 0.005); more steps taken meant less fatigue experienced by the children.