Breast Cancer Survivors Find a Way to Maintain Healthy Lifestyles and Lose Weight on Their Phones

Outcomes Research

Roberta Schwartz, PhD, chief innovation officer of Houston Methodist Hospital, led an observational study of patients and concluded that the use of mobile health technology (mHealth) has shown significant improvement in clinical outcomes among patients. The investigators found that patients who used mHealth technology averaged shorter hospital stays and lower post-surgical readmission rates. Breast cancer patients often gain weight during treatment, and that is a concern because obesity is a factor in the recurrence of the cancer. The Methodist Hospital Cancer Health Application, or the MOCHA app, was developed by Stephen T.C. Wong, PhD, and his informatics development team to help cancer patients make healthy lifestyle choices. A pilot study showed that 56% of enrolled patients who used the app lost an average of 3.5 pounds and that frequency of app use was positively linked with weight loss.

Breast Cancer Survivors Find a Way to

Maintain Healthy Lifestyles and Lose Weight on Their Phones

Renee Stubbins, PhD Stephen T.C. Wong, PhD Breast cancer treatment often leads to unintentional weight gain, which is concerning because obesity is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence and a higher rate of hospital readmissions.

While weight management tools are among the most frequently accessed health apps, most are not tailored to the specific needs of cancer survivors. Stephen T.C. Wong, PhD, John S. Dunn Presidential Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Engineering, and his informatics development team designed a mobile app called the Methodist Hospital Cancer Health Application, or MOCHA, to be an interactive resource that helps post-treatment cancer survivors to make healthy lifestyle choices, including weight loss.

A four-week pilot study of the MOCHA app revealed that 56% of enrolled patients lost an average of 3.5 pounds and that frequency of app use was positively linked with weight loss. The complete results are available in the journal JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics. The next phase of this study will involve 12 weeks of intervention and one year of follow-up. While the app is currently accessible only to study participants, the goal is to broaden its use and focus on changing long-term behaviors to reduce health issues most common in cancer survivors.

Maintaining a healthy weight is difficult enough for the average person, let alone for breast cancer survivors. With MOCHA, we can track multiple patients at once, identify those who need additional support or intervention and communicate with them via real-time messaging to help them stay motivated. This is a tremendous improvement from the typical six-month clinic visit schedule for breast cancer survivors,

between which patients can lose motivation and experience weight gain. ”

– Renee Stubbins, PhD

Assistant Clinical Member

Houston Methodist