Using digital technology to support wellbeing and independence among people living with incurable cancers: a systematic review

TL;DR

This review explores how digital technology can help people with incurable cancer stay active and eat well, improving their wellbeing and independence.

Contribution

The study systematically evaluates the feasibility and acceptability of digital interventions for physical activity and nutrition in advanced cancer patients.

Findings

Digital interventions were mostly feasible and acceptable with high retention and satisfaction.

Participants were willing to recommend or continue using the interventions.

Fewer studies focused on nutrition compared to physical activity.

Abstract

The purpose of this systematic review is to summarise and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of using digital technology to deliver physical activity and/or nutrition interventions to promote wellbeing and independence among adults with advanced or incurable cancer.

Systematic structured searches for any experimental study exploring physical activity and/or nutrition intervention delivery with digital technology were conducted in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. All records were screened, extracted, and quality assessed by two authors. Main outcomes were feasibility and acceptability of using technology to help deliver interventions, with secondary outcomes of potential efficacy in any measure of quality of life, wellbeing, or function.

Twenty-nine eligible studies were included. Digital interventions were mostly feasible and acceptable, with high retention rates and participant satisfaction. Many participants expressed willingness to recommend the interventions to others or continue use. Engagement rates were generally high, although fewer studies addressed diet and nutrition than exercise and physical activity interventions.

Digital supportive care interventions may be feasible, well-accepted, and tolerated by individuals with incurable cancer. These platforms could effectively improve this population’s support for physical activity and symptom management. However, the heterogeneity in study designs highlights the exploratory nature of these interventions. To advance the field, future research should focus on adequately powered studies, improved generalisability, and standardised tools for measuring outcomes.

This trial has been prospectively registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021295936).

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00520-025-09759-1.

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