WCLC 2025 - Posters & ePosters-EP.17.21 A Digital Health Solution for Monitoring Pulmonary Symptoms in Cancer Treatment

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This study presents the development and initial evaluation of a multi-modal digital health solution designed to monitor pulmonary toxicities (PTs), particularly pneumonitis and interstitial lung disease (ILD), in cancer patients undergoing systemic treatment. PTs are serious side effects linked to many cancer therapies that can lead to worsened patient outcomes or be life-threatening. Early identification of PT symptoms through patient self-reporting and remote monitoring could enable prompt clinical interventions.<br /><br />The solution comprises a patient-facing mobile app and a healthcare professional (HCP) dashboard. The app collects daily patient-reported symptoms of ILD (e.g., cough, dyspnea, chest discomfort, fever, fatigue) along with severity and impact on daily activities. It also captures physiological data such as blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), pulse, and respiratory rate via a pulse oximeter during rest or mild exertion at least weekly or when symptoms worsen. Behavioral prompts encourage communication between patients and HCPs. The HCP dashboard visualizes symptom trends, SpO2 thresholds, and alerts to symptom worsening to aid clinical decision-making.<br /><br />Initial usability testing involved 15 patients with breast or lung cancer and 10 oncology clinical trial HCPs, who reported the system as user-friendly, intuitive, and clinically valuable, particularly appreciating the oximeter data and symptom questionnaires. Patients expressed increased engagement and assurance knowing their doctors also received the information. The solution is currently implemented in 10 oncology clinical trials and used by over 3,000 patients.<br /><br />Ongoing evaluation aims to quantitatively assess user engagement, clinical validity by correlating patient-reported data with ILD events, and clinical utility regarding timely interventions and patient outcomes. The development integrated literature review, expert consensus, iterative human factors testing, and a symptom-based alert algorithm, ensuring a user-centered design tailored to the needs of cancer patients and clinical teams managing pulmonary toxicities during treatment.

Asset Subtitle

Garry Beran

Meta Tag

Speaker Garry Beran

Topic Global Health, Health Services, and Health Economics

Keywords

pulmonary toxicities

pneumonitis

interstitial lung disease

cancer treatment monitoring

digital health solution

patient-reported symptoms

pulse oximeter

oncology clinical trials

remote patient monitoring

healthcare professional dashboard