Introduction
Head and neck cancers, toxicities, HNC, Head and Neck Cancer, cancer-, deaths
RECURRENCES, RECURRENCE, DISEASE, MALIGNANCIES, HEAD AND NECK CANCER, HEAD AND NECK CANCER
Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are among the most common malignancies worldwide, affecting more than 740,000 patients and resulting in 360,000 deaths per year [Although cancer-related morbidity often requires upfront or even protective interventions prior to treatment initiation, such as a feeding tube or tracheostomy placement, treatment-related toxicities present with a delayed onset and may even occur with a significant delay after completion of therapy. Radiation-associated side effects are routinely monitored by the treating physicians several times during the course of radiotherapy and also regularly, at larger time intervals, during the follow-up period. Despite the considerable logistical efforts required for repeated physician appointments, there are several disadvantages to obtaining physician-reported outcome measures in patients with HNC. In the increasing gaps between assessments, cancer- or treatment-related symptoms may go unnoticed and patients may also become lost to follow-up. Additionally, patients may not adequately or completely report their symptoms during timed physician appointments [It has been suggested that mobile apps may enable regular and close monitoring of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), such as disease symptoms and treatment-related toxicities, and in this respect, they may provide an additional tool to bridge the gap between physician appointments [Considering both their high risk for locoregional recurrences and increased likelihood of experiencing higher-grade treatment-related toxicities, patients with HNC may derive particular benefits from an app-based collection of ePROs. In this respect, ePROs may provide a means to detect both recurrence symptoms and indicators of declining quality of life. The feasibility and potential benefits of app-based monitoring of patients with HNC have not yet been elucidated. Our App-Controlled Treatment Monitoring and Support for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer (APCOT) trial investigated, for the first time, the feasibility of daily app-based symptom monitoring in patients with HNC undergoing radiotherapy as well as patient compliance levels and the impact of ePRO monitoring on the global and disease-specific quality of life and patient satisfaction.