Oral Presentation 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

Effectiveness of a mobile app-based cognitive-behavioural intervention compared to standard psycho-oncological care during primary oncological treatment of Polish breast cancer patients: a prospective two-arm randomized trial (126785)

Anna Syska-Bielak 1 , Marta Pawełczak-Szastok 2 , Michał Jarząb 1 , Rafał Matkowski 3 , Agata Kołodziejczyk 4 , Anna Dudek 5 , Anna Kania 6 , Małgorzata Księżak 7 , Małgorzata Haneczok 7 , Ewa Wojtyna 8
  1. Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Diseases, M. Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology Gliwice Branch, , Gliwice, Poland
  2. Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Oncohematology, M. Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology Gliwice Branch, Gliwice, Poland, Gliwice, Poland
  3. Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Haematology Center, Department of Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
  4. SWPS University, Psychology Department Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Haematology Center,, Wroclaw , Poland
  5. Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Haematology Center, Wroclaw Poland, wroclaw, poland
  6. Lower Silesian Oncology, Pulmonology and Haematology Center, Wroclaw , Poland
  7. Prosoma, Szczecin, Poland
  8. Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Opole, Opole, Poland, , Opole, Poland

Background

E-health is an important tool to support clinical work with oncology patients. Patients with primary breast cancer participated in an innovative European-scale clinical trial of a psycho-oncology mobile app. 

Aim

The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a mobile therapeutic intervention for the level of depression and anxiety in a Polish population of women with breast cancer undergoing oncological treatment.

Material and methods

The study was a prospective, two-arm, randomized clinical trial involving 214 women undergoing oncological treatment for breast cancer (randomization 2:1). The experimental group (n=138) used the Living Well mobile application, which included 22 cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) sessions. The control group (n=78) received standard psycho-oncological care. Levels of depression and anxiety were assessed at baseline and every 6 weeks using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results

At baseline, 27.6% of participants exhibited at least mild levels of depression, and 52.8% showed at least mild levels of anxiety. Six months after the study began, the experimental group demonstrated a significantly greater clinically meaningful improvement compared to the control group in both anxiety (56% vs. 36%) and depression (26.5% vs. 21.7%). Improvement in the experimental group was positively correlated with the level of engagement in using the mobile application.

Conclusions

Mobile intervention with therapeutic content based on a cognitive-behavioral approach may provide valuable support for psycho-oncological care. The study confirms the effectiveness of the Living Well app in reducing anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients and points to the need for further research and integration of such tools into standard oncology care.