Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37494111›Full record

SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2023

Mobile Apps and Quality of Life in Patients With Breast Cancer and Survivors: Systematic Literature Review.

Saeunn Rut Saevarsdottir, Sigridur Lara Gudmundsdottir

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
12.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Effectiveness of eHealth interventions in long-term follow-up care for breast and gynecological cancer survivors: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Saeunn Rut Saevarsdottir *University of Iceland, Department of Health Promotion, Sport & Leisure Studies, Reykjavik, Iceland.ORCID 0009-0002-6323-6232
Sigridur Lara GudmundsdottirUniversity of Iceland, Department of Health Promotion, Sport & Leisure Studies, Reykjavik, Iceland.ORCID 0000-0002-6189-5894
University of Iceland · IS

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSide effects of breast cancer treatment may persist long into survivorship, reducing quality of life (QOL) in patients with breast cancer and survivors. There is growing evidence for the use of digital health technologies, such as mobile apps, to support self-management, decrease symptom burden, and improve QOL in patients with cancer. However, an updated overview of the effects of mobile apps on QOL and well-being in patients with breast cancer and survivors is needed.

objectiveThe aim of this review was to provide an overview of breast cancer-specific, mobile app-driven lifestyle or behavioral interventions in patient care through to survivorship and their impact on QOL and mental well-being.

methodsA systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted to identify relevant studies. The inclusion criteria were limited to original studies involving a trial of a mobile app-driven lifestyle or behavioral intervention for patients with breast cancer or survivors and using QOL or well-being measures. The results of the studies that met the inclusion criterion were then synthesized in text and table format. The quality of the evidence was assessed with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool.

resultsA total of 17 studies with the number of participants ranging from 23 to 356 met the inclusion criterion. Of the 17 reviewed studies, 7 (41%) delivered an app-only intervention, and 10 (59%) combined an app with additional supporting materials, such as SMS text messaging, telecoaching, wearables, or printed materials. Among the 17 reviewed studies, 6 (35%) focused on aiding patients with breast cancer during the active treatment phase (excluding ongoing hormone therapy), whereas the remaining 11 (65%) focused on survivorship. The majority of the studies (14/17, 82%) observed some positive effects on QOL or well-being measures.

conclusionsThe results of the review indicate that mobile apps are a promising avenue for improving QOL and well-being in breast cancer care. Positive effects were observed in patients undergoing active treatment in all reviewed studies, but effects were less clear after chemotherapy and in long-term survivors. Although lifestyle and behavioral digital interventions are still being developed, and further research should still be pursued, the available data suggest that current mobile health apps aid patients with breast cancer and survivors.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsMobile ApplicationsTelemedicineText MessagingFemaleHumansQuality of LifeSurvivorsbreast cancercancer treatmentdigital health interventionlifestyle interventionmHealthmobile appmobile healthmobile phonepatient carequality of lifereviewsurvivorshipsystematic review

Identifiers

PMID37494111
PMCPMC10416803
OpenAlexW4366323414

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.