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Scoping review of digital health interventions for economic toxicity in cancer patientsDigital tools show promise for easing cancer financial stress

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Key Takeaway
Consider digital health tools for economic toxicity in cancer, but note heterogeneous evidence.

This is a scoping review that examines the role of digital health interventions in managing economic toxicity among cancer patients, based on evidence from 22 studies. The review focuses on outcomes such as cost communication skills, financial assistance, intervention feasibility, economic toxicity scales, and long-term financial difficulties, without specifying a comparator or follow-up duration.

The authors synthesize that digital health interventions show positive results in improving cost communication skills, facilitating financial assistance, and enhancing feasibility. However, evidence regarding improvements in economic toxicity scales and the alleviation of long-term financial difficulties exhibits some heterogeneity, with no effect sizes, p-values, or confidence intervals reported for any outcomes. Safety data, including adverse events, are not reported.

Limitations include the heterogeneity in evidence for certain outcomes, which may affect the consistency of findings. The review notes that digital health technologies offer unique advantages in managing economic toxicity due to high accessibility, scalability, and ease of remote access and follow-up, but this is based on observational evidence without causal inference. Practice relevance should be considered with restraint, as the evidence is not from randomized trials and lacks quantitative effect measures.

This review examined twenty-two studies about digital health tools for cancer patients. The evidence regarding improvements in financial scales and long-term money difficulties shows some inconsistency. Researchers found that these digital methods often help patients talk better about costs with their care teams. They also seem to make it easier to find financial assistance programs.

The review focused on how technology handles economic toxicity, which refers to the financial stress of cancer treatment. Digital health interventions offer unique advantages like high accessibility and ease of remote follow-up. However, the evidence is not uniform across all areas of financial management. Some studies showed positive results, while others varied significantly in their findings regarding long-term money struggles.

No safety concerns or adverse events were reported in the included studies. Still, the mixed evidence means these tools are not a guaranteed solution for every patient. Readers should view this as early information rather than a definitive guide for treatment decisions. It suggests digital options are worth exploring for financial support but need more consistent research. The review covered various types of digital interventions available to patients. Understanding these limitations helps patients set realistic expectations. More research is needed to confirm these findings.

What this means for you:
Digital health tools show promise for financial support, though results on long-term money issues vary.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis
EvidenceLevel 1
PublishedApr 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
ObjectiveThis study systematically reviews the current application of digital health interventions in cancer patients, clarifies their implementation characteristics and intervention effects in managing economic toxicity, and provides a reference for intervention programs to reduce the economic toxicity of patients.MethodsRelevant studies were systematically retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, CNKI, CBM, WanFang Database, and VIP Database from their inception to February 6, 2026. Data from the included literature were extracted and analyzed.ResultsA total of 22 studies were included. Digital health technologies are applicable to multiple stages of cancer patient diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Among these, remote financial navigation or consultation is the most commonly used intervention method. Existing research has shown positive results in improving cost communication skills, facilitating financial assistance, and enhancing intervention feasibility, but evidence regarding improvements in economic toxicity scales and the alleviation of long-term financial difficulties exhibits some heterogeneity.ConclusionDigital health technologies, with their high accessibility, scalability, and ease of remote access and follow-up, offer unique advantages in managing the economic toxicity of cancer patients. Current research in this field has gradually shifted from single-stage interventions to comprehensive intervention pathways. Future research should focus on the dynamic evolution of economic toxicity at different stages of diagnosis and treatment, promote the standardization of intervention procedures and outcome evaluations, and develop personalized digital intervention strategies to mitigate the economic toxicity of cancer patients.Systematic review registrationhttps://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/4DYN3.
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