Efficacy of an application-based recurrence prevention program for breast cancer survivors: A pilot study

Abstract

Objectives: To develop an application-based recurrence prevention program and to determine whether the program was effective in reducing symptom experience, increasing social support, and reducing uncertainty on breast cancer survivors. Methods/Statistical Analysis: This is a quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pre-post test design. Twenty-seven breast cancer survivors with stage 0~II cancer identified within 24 months of completion of primary care treatment were recruited. Experimental group downloaded an application-based program on their smartphone and documented their diet, exercise and pain during 8 weeks. The data was analyzed using Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. Findings: There is no significant difference between the two groups was evident in terms of any socio-demographic or clinical characteristics at the baseline. The experimental group had significantly lower scores for symptom experience (p = .044), uncertainty (p = .043) and higher scores for social support (p