What can Digital Health do in Oncology?

by Ana Díaz-Roncero and Patricia Domínguez, October 2, 2024

For many years, cancer has been one of the largest and most significant categories of disease around the world. In 2020, 18.1 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed worldwide. In Spain alone, it is estimated that there could be 286,664 cases in 2024, according to data from REDECAN (the Spanish Cancer Registry Network). 

This high incidence, along with better survival rates for oncology patients thanks to multiple advances, has brought with it new challenges—for patients, who face challenges associated with diagnosis, treatment, and the psychological and social impacts of the disease, as well as for the healthcare system as a whole, which experiences an increased burden of care and use of resources. In Spain, this translates to annual costs of about 19.3 million euros, including direct medical and non-medical costs, along with indirect costs. 

In this context, how can Digital Health contribute to cancer treatment? 

• • Maintenance of therapeutic adherence 
  • Monitoring of symptoms and events outside of the hospital 
  • Detection of deviations in real time 
  • Resolution of questions and uncertainties

Among these benefits, adherence to treatment is especially important, as that failure can impact the patient’s progress or aggravate the patient’s clinical situation. In the specific case of cancer, the particularities of the disease like secondary effects of treatments or changes in daily living habits can cause a higher probability that patients will decide to not follow medical treatment. In fact, in contrast to what is often thought, the lack of adherence is relatively common in this type of patient, and can result in reduced response rates and higher medical expenses. 

It is here that Digital Health can offer innovative solutions adapted to each patient and treatment that, in addition to facilitating follow-up between appointments, helps to maintain therapeutic adherence by using personalized itineraries that guide the patient, and notify the healthcare professional in case of deviations. These tools are particularly useful if we consider that a study about adherence in patients in oral oncology treatment identified their primary reasons for non-adherence as forgetting (50%) and toxicity (21%). 

Although the use of technology to help with adherence in oncology patients is not new, as noted in the review “Mobile Health in Adherence to Oral Anticancer Drugs”, until recently there was a lack of solid scientific support for its use in clinical practice, as the studies did not focus on the effectiveness of digital platforms. This has changed with the arrival of Digital Therapeutics (DTx), software supported by scientific evidence that are demonstrating clinical benefits in multiple diseases, cancer among them. Improvements have already been shown in adherence and quality of life, reduction of fatigue, and even an increase in survival rates.  

Digital Therapeutics like those developed by Persei vivarium are becoming comprehensive solutions intended to improve health outcomes and the use of healthcare resources, helping to reduce unscheduled visits and unnecessary interactions with healthcare professions. By improving adherence and management in cancer, patients experience fewer complications, which in turn reduces the burden on healthcare resources. 

In conclusion, the integration of Digital Health into clinical practice is already demonstrating significant potential that, together with DTx and the use of tools like Artificial Intelligence, will help to transform the treatment of cancer as we know it, offering care that is more efficient, personalized, and centered on the real needs of the patients.

#DigitalHealth #DigitalTherapeutics #DTx #Oncology