What Do Cancer Patients Really Want From mHealth Technology?

Mobile health (mHealth) tools are increasingly tested in oncology for their ability to track symptoms, support recovery, and even flag complications early. While evidence shows they can improve quality of life and potentially outcomes, their success depends on one crucial factor: whether patients actually want to use them.

Interviews with 13 cancer patients and survivors revealed a nuanced picture. For some, digital monitoring feels burdensome, a constant reminder of illness. For others, it offers reassurance, convenience, and fewer unnecessary hospital visits. Ease of use is key: passive data collection, such as heart rate tracking, is often preferred for long-term engagement, while active measures are tolerated when clearly relevant. Patients also value trust—favoring hospital-developed, integrated platforms over fragmented consumer devices—and emphasize that digital care must never replace human contact but rather complement and strengthen it. Concerns about privacy and accessibility emerged, but with clear communication about purpose and benefits, participants were surprisingly open—even to location tracking—if it contributed to better care or research. Above all, patients' voices and patient-guided design are proving essential for mHealth to realize its promise in cancer care.