A pilot study reports high levels of acceptance and compliance despite an older patient population
Capturing variations in patients’ clinical conditions during systemic anticancer treatments has long been a challenge in oncology. Although ESMO strongly recommends the use of digital symptom monitoring with patient reported outcomes (PRO) measures in routine practice, several barriers remain to its integration in clinical setting including inadequate information technology infrastructure and integration into clinical workflow, insufficient time to review and act on PRO responses, and lack of payer/insurance reimbursement (Ann Oncol. 2022 Sep;33(9):878-892).
A multicenter pilot study conducted across eight hospitals in Spain suggests that a tailored mobile health application could improve how clinicians monitor symptoms and treatment-related side-effects in patients with prostate cancer (ESMO Real World Data and Digital Oncology, 2025; 10). A publicly available, free-download app, the Wave Health app, developed by Treatment Technologies & Insights, was specifically adapted for adult patients with prostate cancer, featuring a dual interface for both patients and healthcare professionals.
The platform allows users to track symptoms via validated questionnaires such as Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate (FACT-P) and Cancer Health Literacy Test-30-Spanish (CHLT-30-DKspa), and Weekly Symptom Review (WSR) based on the NCI’s PRO version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE®) Measurement System. Patients also received medication reminders through the app, while clinicians could remotely access patient data through a dedicated portal.
The 13-week study consisted of a screening period of up to five days followed by 12 weeks of active data collection. Eligible participants were adults with histologically confirmed prostate cancer undergoing systemic treatment and they were required to own a smartphone with internet access. No particular grade of digital health literacy was requested to patients involved.
Findings reported on the ESMO Real World Data and Digital Oncology revealed a high level of engagement among the 80 patients who completed the study, with an acceptance rate of 94.3% and a compliance rate of 93.3% (ESMO Real World Data and Digital Oncology, 2025; 10). Mean age of 68.6 years did not affect the digital experience of patients, and notably, nearly 30% of participants initially reported low confidence in using technology, yet overall adherence remained high.
Results of a feedback survey showed that most of the study participants found the app intuitive, useful, and would recommend it. Also, the use of the app helped them reduce anxiety, stay connected with the care team, and improve doctor-patient communication.
Although the short duration of the study did not capture significant modifications of patient’s health in the long-term, “high ePRO completion in a real multicenter setting suggests that well-designed digital tools can support symptom surveillance during systemic therapy in prostate cancer,” notes Dr Rodrigo Dienstmann, working at the Oncoclínicas & Co, Brazil, and Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Spain, and Editor-in-Chief of the ESMO peer-reviewed journal. “The next implementation step is ensuring that incoming data translate into clear clinical workflows and timely interventions rather than additional unstructured workload.”
