An Integrated Digital PROM-platform for Cancer Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with cancer are subject to multiple risks (e.g. frequent hospital visits, increased infection risk, more severe clinical course, discontinued cancer treatment etc.). Patients undergoing cancer therapy are also faced with several Quality of Life - impairing side effects. In the case of a positive COVID-19 cancer patient, the need and intensity of treating must be weighed against the possible higher risk of developing severe complications in the course of a COVID-19 infection. Nevertheless, both for COVID-19 positive and negative patients who will continue or discontinue cancer treatment throughout the pandemic, providing supportive care is more important than ever. Digitally monitoring patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) could offer a solution to improve the supportive care measures during cancer treatment, and certainly in times of COVID-19. Digitalized PROMS could significantly contribute to improved communication, patient satisfaction, supportive care, monitoring of cancer treatment, and detection of problems. To date, clinical trials investigating the benefits of digital PROMS in patients with cancer during the current COVID-19 pandemic are lacking. At the Jessa Hospital, the investigators already have experience in collecting PROMs via a digital platform (Awell Health) since 2019 for patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy using validated QoL questionnaires. The overall aim of this project is to prospectively evaluate the impact of a COVID-19 infection on the severity of the cancer therapy-related complications and the QoL of patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy using a digital PROMs-platform.