JMIR Cancer

Chemotherapy can cause symptoms that impair quality of life and functioning. Remote monitoring of daily symptoms and activity during outpatient treatment may enable earlier detection and management of emerging toxicities but requires patients, including older and acutely ill patients, to engage with technology to report symptoms through smartphones and to charge and wear mobile devices.

More than 85% of patients report heightened levels of anxiety following breast cancer diagnosis. Anxiety may become amplified during the early stages of breast cancer diagnosis when ambiguity is high. High levels of anxiety can negatively impact patients by reducing their ability to function physically, make decisions, and adhere to treatment plans, with all these elements combined serving to diminish the quality of life.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. Early detection via routine CRC screening can significantly lower risks for CRC-specific morbidity and mortality. Public health initiatives between 2000-2015 nearly doubled CRC screening rates for some US adults. However, screening rates remain lowest for adults aged 45-49 years (20%), patients of safety-net healthcare facilities (42%), adults without insurance (44%) and other subgroups compared to national averages (72%). Given the evolving landscape of digital healthcare and trends in online health information seeking behaviors, leveraging online medical record (OMR) systems may be an underutilized resource to promote CRC screening utilization. Recognizing trends in OMR usage and patient demographics may enhance digital inclusion—a key social determinant of health—and support equitable online interventions aimed at boosting CRC screening across diverse populations.

Young adult (YA) cancer survivors aged 18-39 frequently report unmet health information and peer support needs, as well as poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Our team has developed a supportive care intervention, titled TOGETHER-YA, to improve YA cancer survivors’ stress management skills. TOGETHER-YA is delivered via videoconference and has shown initial feasibility, acceptability, and promise for improving HRQOL among YA survivors.

Whether COVID-19 is associated with a change in risk perception about other health conditions is unknown. Because COVID-19 occurred during a breast cancer study, we evaluated the effect of COVID-19 risk perception on women’s breast cancer risk perception.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Adult weight gain and modifiable health behaviors, including smoking, alcohol intake, and lack of physical activity, are well-known risk factors. Most weight gain in women occurs between the ages of 18 and 35 years. Digital interventions have the potential to address logistical challenges that arise in reaching women in this age range. We designed a digital intervention targeting weight gain prevention and other modifiable health behaviors for young women at increased risk of breast cancer. Women aged 18 to 35 years were recruited to this single-arm intervention study over 2 months to test the acceptability and usability of the intervention, which comprised a group welcome event held via videoconferencing, app, and private Facebook group.

Music-based interventions (MBIs) are evidence-based, non-pharmacological treatments that include music therapy (MT), which is delivered by board-certified music therapists, as well as music services (MS), which are delivered by other healthcare professionals and volunteers. Despite MBI’s growing evidence base in cancer symptom management, it remains unclear how MBI-related information is presented to the public. Over 80% of people with cancer use the internet to find health-related information. In the United States, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) identifies certain cancer centers around the country as NCI-Designated Cancer Centers (CCs) or Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCCs) based on their level of excellence in research. Because NCI-designated CCs and CCCs are considered the gold standard in cancer care, their websites are often viewed by the public as important sources of information.

Tobacco use has been identified as a risk factor for oral cancer worldwide. However, relative oral cancer incidence among adults who smoke cigarettes, use smokeless tobacco products (ST), have transitioned from cigarettes to ST, quit both cigarettes and/or ST (“quitters”), or never used tobacco has not been well studied.

The experience sampling method (ESM), a self-report method that typically uses multiple assessments per day, can provide detailed knowledge of the daily experiences of people with cancer, potentially informing oncological care. The use of the ESM among people with advanced cancer is limited, and no validated ESM questionnaires have been developed specifically for oncology.

Adherence to prescribed oral anticancer therapy is an important determinant of patient outcomes, including progression-free and overall survival. While many factors (eg, medication side effects and out-of-pocket costs, problems with insurance authorization, and timely medication refills) can affect adherence, one that is relatively unexplored is the impact of a patient’s attitude and personality. Patient personality influences medication adherence and persistence in nonmalignant chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In breast cancer and chronic myeloid leukemia, studies suggest that personality also affects adherence to oral chemotherapy which can be targeted to improve adherence. In this viewpoint, we highlight the opportunity of incorporating patient personality as interventions to oral cancer therapy adherence and discuss current barriers to implementation.

Patients with cancer and an underlying autoimmune disease who are considering immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs) need to know about the benefits and risks of severe immune-related adverse events and flares of the autoimmune condition.

Previous research demonstrated that caregivers of children with cancer desired a mobile health (mHealth) tool to aid them in the medical management of their child. Prototyping and alpha testing of the Cope 360 app (Commissioning Agents, Inc) resulted in improvements in the ability to track symptoms, manage medications, and prepare for urgent medical needs.