A Smartphone App-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Cancer Survivors: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Mindfulness-based interventions
• Cancer survivorship care

Background:

• Cancer survivors require psychosocial support for issues like anxiety and fear of recurrence.
• Traditional interventions face barriers like time and location constraints.
• Smartphone apps offer a convenient solution for delivering mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of a tailored app-based MBI (Am MBCS-Journey) for cancer survivors.
• Primary outcome: reduction in stress symptoms.
• Secondary outcomes: improvements in fear of recurrence, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and physical functioning.

Main Methods:

• Randomized waitlist-controlled trial design.
• Participants assessed at baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and at 3, 6, and 12 months.
• App data includes user engagement, emotion mapping, and psychobiometric data.

Main Results:

• Recruitment ongoing, with a majority of breast and colorectal cancer survivors enrolled.
• Primary outcome data collection to be completed by September 2019, with full follow-up analysis by September 2020.
• Linear mixed modelling will be used to analyze group differences.

Conclusions:

• App-based MBIs show promise for cancer survivors, addressing accessibility barriers.
• This study provides crucial efficacy data for a tailored mindfulness app.
• Positive results could lead to wider adoption of digital psychosocial care in cancer centers globally.