Cancer Management and Research (Aug 2018)
Tracking steps in oncology: the time is now
Abstract
Juhi M Purswani,1 Nitin Ohri,2 Colin Champ3,4 1Department of Radiation Oncology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 3Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 4Department of Integrative Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Purpose: Accurate evaluation of patients’ health status is a key component of the workup, treatment, and follow-up of cancer patients. Assessments by clinicians (eg, performance status, toxicity grade) and patients (eg, quality of life) play a critical role in current practice but have significant limitations. Technological advances now provide an opportunity to track a new class of objective measures of patient activity, such as daily step counts. Here, we describe recent efforts to incorporate this technology into the field of oncology. Design: We conducted a structured literature search using MEDLINE electronic database to identify published observational studies of tracking steps in cancer patients and trials of exercise programs for cancer survivors incorporating pedometers until February 2016. Results: Data indicate that physical activity information may supplant existing scales for the assessment of cancer patients’ functional capacity. Conclusion: Objective activity monitoring is poised to revolutionize the way health care providers assess cancer patients at the time of diagnosis, during treatment, and in the survivorship setting. Keywords: cancer, pedometers, fitness trackers, performance status
