Abstract PO5-11-12: The use of wearable sensors and patient-reported outcomes in breast cancer research: A literature survey
Authors: Kelly Dumais, Adam Jagodinsky, Saima Khakwani, Rebecca Bonaker, Bryan McDowell, Kristen Sowalsky
Journal: Cancer Research (2024)

Abstract Background: Clinical outcome assessments (COAs) related to physical activity, sleep, and functional mobility (gait and balance) are common in breast cancer research as they provide insight into treatment effects and overall quality of life. Wearable sensors offer utility in supplementing traditional COAs by providing objective data by passive, continuous measurement, thereby gaining unique insight on functioning while reducing patient burden. However, a comprehensive understanding of how wearables are being used in breast cancer research and how they correlate with subjective measurement of functioning is lacking. Our aim was to identify how wearable sensors and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are being utilized in breast cancer research, the common areas of overlap, as well as areas in which expanded use of wearable sensors may be beneficial in clinical breast cancer research. Methods: We conducted a non-systematic survey of breast cancer literature using electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Elsevier and Clinicaltrials.gov) to identify oncology trials using both wearable sensors and PROs. Details such as PROs used, types of sensors used, and the data collected from these were extracted and summarized. There were no restrictions placed on the date and year of publication. Results: A total of 15 breast cancer studies, which used both wearable sensors and PROs to measure patient outcomes, were included in analysis. Accelerometers were implemented most frequently in the studies analyzed (73%) followed by pedometers (40%). The most common outcomes measured using wearable sensors were physical activity (47%) and sleep (47%), with only 1 study (7%) measuring functional mobility(gait and balance). The most common outcomes measured using PROs were sleep (47%), followed by quality of life (40%), physical activity (33%), and “other” parameters (40%; e.g., mood, fatigue, pain). Correlation between PRO and sensor metrics were sparce (20%), yet sensor measures of physical activity, sleep, and gait/balance correlated respectively with PROs of activity, sleep, and quality of life. Conclusions: Sleep, quality of life, and physical activity were the most common outcomes measured by PROs, while physical activity and sleep were the most common outcomes captured using wearable sensors. These results suggest there is alignment in outcomes gathered from wearable sensors and PROs, however additional insight may be gained by incorporating wearable sensors for assessment of functional mobility (e.g. walk or balance tests) as these areas are known to impact quality of life in cancer patients and cancer survivors. Further, few studies analyzed correlations between the two measurement systems, suggesting a greater need in understanding how objective measures via wearable sensors and subjective measurements relate. Citation Format: Kelly Dumais, Adam Jagodinsky, Saima Khakwani, Rebecca Bonaker, Bryan McDowell, Kristen Sowalsky. The use of wearable sensors and patient-reported outcomes in breast cancer research: A literature survey [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PO5-11-12.