Patients' Perspective on Digital Technologies in Advanced Genitourinary Cancers

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Digital Health
• Patient-Reported Outcomes

Background:

• Digital technologies offer remote monitoring for cancer patients, addressing care gaps.
• Limited knowledge exists regarding uro-oncologic patients' views on digital tools in clinical care and trials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate uro-oncologic patients' current use, preferences, and expectations of digital health technology.
• To inform the development of digital health applications for cancer care.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to patients receiving systemic treatment for urothelial, prostate, and renal-cell carcinoma.
• Ninety-seven patients were included in the final analysis.

Main Results:

• Younger patients (40-49 years) demonstrated higher usage of internet, smartphones, and wearables compared to older patients (80-89 years).
• Patients preferred receiving data from wearables in clinical trials (2.9/5) versus not receiving it (2.3/5).
• Interest in activity data (3.7/5) surpassed interest in sleep data (2.7/5), though desire for sleep data increased with advanced treatment lines.

Conclusions:

• Uro-oncologic patients exhibit significant engagement with digital technologies and data generation.
• Future digital health applications must consider patient demographics (age, gender) and treatment characteristics (therapy line).