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Physical Activity During Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer - Evaluating Functionality and Practicability of a Reminder App
Maria K Streubel1, Laura Doehring1, Hanne Falk Grauslund2
1Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck Campus, Lübeck, Germany.
Anticancer Research
|June 29, 2026
Summary
A new app aims to combat fatigue in lung cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy by encouraging physical activity. While generally well-received, the app requires improvements for Android users, particularly in its download and installation process.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Oncology Supportive Care
- Mobile Health Interventions
Background:
- Radiotherapy for lung cancer often causes fatigue and reduced physical activity.
- A novel mobile application has been developed to prompt patients to achieve daily step goals.
- This study evaluates the app's usability in healthy volunteers prior to clinical trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the functionality and practicability of a new step-tracking mobile application.
- To identify areas for improvement before clinical implementation in lung cancer patients.
- To evaluate user satisfaction across different demographic and device subgroups.
Main Methods:
- Thirty healthy volunteers participated in the APPAREL-HV study.
- Participants rated app satisfaction using ten statements across three sections: Download/Installation, Navigation, and Content/Functions.
- Satisfaction thresholds were set at <80% for optimization and <60% for perceived usefulness; subgroup analyses were conducted.
Main Results:
- Overall satisfaction rates ranged from 86.7% to 100% across app sections.
- Android users reported significantly lower satisfaction with the Download and Installation section (50.0%) compared to iPhone users (95.8%, p=0.018).
- All other satisfaction rates were above 80%, with no significant differences in other subgroup comparisons.
Conclusions:
- The current app version is not sufficiently useful for Android users due to issues with Download and Installation.
- Significant improvements are needed for the Android version's initial setup process.
- The app shows potential but requires targeted optimization for specific user groups.
