Mobile health (mHealth) interventions in prostate cancer survivorship: a scoping review

Purpose: This scoping review explores the application of mHealth technology in prostate cancer (CaP) management along the survivorship continuum.

Methods: The scoping review was conducted using the five-step framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley. Using predefined criteria, we screened citations from Embase, EBSCOHost, Cochrane Library, PubMed, ProQuest, SCOPUS, and Web of Science for primary studies published before December 2021. We selected studies that explored the application of mHealth technology in CaP management and survivorship. Evidence from 14 eligible studies was summarized using narrative synthesis.

Results: Fourteen studies published between 2015 and 2021 were included. Ten mHealth apps were identified with only one still in use. Most apps were explored for their supportive care roles during radiotherapy (n = 9) and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) (n = 1) treatment, mainly to assess outcomes (n = 1) and manage patient-reported symptoms (n = 5). One study deployed mHealth to facilitate recovery after surgery. Very few studies (n = 3) applied mHealth for lifestyle management (i.e., physical activity). Barriers to app usage included connectivity issues, end-user familiarity with the app, login hurdles, and time constraints. Facilitators of app usage included apps being downloaded for participants, devices provided for participants, and the ability to connect with providers through the platform.

Conclusions and implications for cancer survivors: The improving survival rates from CaP suggest that men are now living longer with unfavorable treatment side effects such as reduced sexual functioning, pain, and fatigue. Hence, mHealth represents new hope in men's illness trajectory. However, current application in patients' care pathways remains poor, particularly in the active phase of CaP management. Efforts must be accelerated to explore individual and healthcare-level drivers of mHealth use. The feasibility and descriptive nature of current studies point to a lack of attention to actual implementation and scale-up issues in research considering mHealth application in CaP, hence accounting partly for the gap in research/practice.