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Advances and future directions in the use of mobile health in supportive cancer care: proceedings of the 2019 MASCC Annual Meeting symposium

Supportive Care in Cancer volume 28, pages 4059–4067 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

The role of mobile health (mHealth) technology in cancer care has evolved alongside the rapid development in digital technology. Its use can come with significant potential benefits; however, such use may also be associated with risks. This paper summarizes the latest developments around mHealth use in cancer care presented by a panel of experts at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer.

Methods

Through lectures, case studies, and panel discussions, speakers and participants (including cancer specialist doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals) evaluated current and emerging mHealth methods for supportive care in cancer survivorship. Focus areas and special considerations were agreed upon by consensus.

Results

Three focus areas for the use of mHealth in cancer care were identified: activation and support of self-management, exercise oncology, and enablement of survivorship care delivery. In addition to these focus areas, two special considerations were highlighted: technology-enhanced supportive cancer care for disparate populations, and ethical considerations relevant to the use of technology in supportive care.

Conclusion

mHealth has the potential to revolutionize and transform cancer care delivery. Future research should guide further advances in the use of technology in supportive cancer care and carefully explore the safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and implementation of interventions delivered through mHealth platforms.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing and Cancer and Palliative Care Outcomes Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Level 3, N Block, Brisbane, 4059, Australia

    Raymond J. Chan & Megan Crichton

  2. Division of Cancer Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Metro South Hospital and Health Services, Brisbane, Australia

    Raymond J. Chan

  3. Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Research Center and Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Doris Howell

  4. College of Medicine, The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, USA

    Maryam B. Lustberg

  5. Department of Surgery, Wilmot Cancer Institute, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Karen Mustian

  6. Department of Medical Oncology, Flinders Medical Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

    Bogda Koczwara

  7. Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Chiu Chin Ng, Yu Ke & Yi Long Toh

  8. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Yoon Kim

  9. Division of Intramural Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Anna María Nápoles

  10. Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California San Francisco/Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Niharika Dixit

  11. Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Dori Klemanski

  12. Lawrence S. Bloomberg, Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Margaret I Fitch

  13. Helpsyhealth.com and University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Sangeeta Agarawal

  14. Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice, Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 101 Theory, Suite 100, Irvine, CA, 92697-3958, USA

    Alexandre Chan

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  1. Raymond J. Chan
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  16. Alexandre Chan
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Correspondence to Raymond J. Chan or Alexandre Chan.

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Chan, R.J., Howell, D., Lustberg, M.B. et al. Advances and future directions in the use of mobile health in supportive cancer care: proceedings of the 2019 MASCC Annual Meeting symposium. Support Care Cancer 28, 4059–4067 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05513-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-020-05513-x

Keywords

  • Cancer
  • Mobile health
  • mHealth
  • Oncology
  • Survivorship
  • Technology