The feasibility of DCCL-PRO: An interactive mobile application for post-treatment follow-up of breast cancer survivors

The feasibility of DCCL-PRO: An interactive mobile application for post-treatment follow-up of breast cancer survivors | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF software The feasibility of DCCL-PRO: An interactive mobile application for post-treatment follow-up of breast cancer survivors Peer Christiansen, Anders Bonde Jensen, Birgitte Vrou Offersen, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8180909/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background. With improved early detection and treatment of breast cancer, survival rates have significantly improved. However, many long-term survivors experience disease- and treatment-related late effects, impacting their quality of life. Traditional follow-up models are resource-intensive and increasingly unsustainable. Digital follow-up systems incorporating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may offer a scalable, individualized solution. This study evaluates the feasibility of DCCL-PRO, a mobile application designed to support personalized, need-based follow-up care for breast cancer survivors. The app aims to facilitate early identification of recurrence or late effects, reduce unnecessary hospital visits, improve self-management, and support adherence to adjuvant therapy. Materials and Methods. The DCCL-PRO smartphone application was developed to collect PRO data via validated questionnaires at defined intervals during treatment and follow-up. Patients receive real-time feedback, and alerts are issued to clinicians via a secure web-based interface. Feasibility was assessed through usability testing, patient engagement metrics, and real-world implementation in Danish breast cancer follow-up programs. Results. Usability testing (n=30) revealed high satisfaction, with mean scores of 8.5/10 for content and 9.0/10 for feedback. In a real-world cohort (n=514), 70% of newly diagnosed patients actively used the app, indicating satisfactory adoption and engagement. Conclusion. DCCL-PRO demonstrates feasibility as a digital, PRO-based follow-up system that can enhance patient engagement, facilitate early detection of complications, and improve healthcare efficiency by enabling personalized, need-based follow-up, thus reducing unnecessary hospital visits. Further studies are needed to assess its long-term impact on clinical outcomes and effectiveness compared to conventional follow-up methods. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. The project has been approved by the Central Denmark Region Internal Inventory of Research Projects. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8180909","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"software","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":619112090,"identity":"b69750bb-7ac6-4636-9041-a965b9f7a38b","order_by":0,"name":"Peer Christiansen","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAqElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLACxgYGHn4Qg+cAKVokG0jVwmBwgFgt5uzNxz783HFPxvj26QSGN2eI0GLZcyx5Zu+ZYh6zc7kbGOfcIEKLwY0cY2bGtgQeszO8G5h5PhCj5f77z2Atxj1Ea7nBwwzWYsAD0kKMwyx70owZe4FaJIAOOziHGO+bsx9+zPCzLcGev4d344M3x4hxGDLnABEa0LSMglEwCkbBKMAKAFqMNf/L77A+AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Aarhus University Hospital","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Peer","middleName":"","lastName":"Christiansen","suffix":""},{"id":619112091,"identity":"f580883b-f9e2-4ebd-b43e-8e11155e98bc","order_by":1,"name":"Anders Bonde Jensen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Aarhus University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Anders","middleName":"Bonde","lastName":"Jensen","suffix":""},{"id":619112092,"identity":"0c0d220d-6798-4114-af84-e5d2bf6efe24","order_by":2,"name":"Birgitte Vrou Offersen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Aarhus University Hospital","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Birgitte","middleName":"Vrou","lastName":"Offersen","suffix":""},{"id":619112093,"identity":"e5defdda-cabc-4a83-8898-8c507162b63a","order_by":3,"name":"Pernille Bech","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University Hospital of Southern Denmark SLB - 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With improved early detection and treatment of breast cancer, survival rates have significantly improved. However, many long-term survivors experience disease- and treatment-related late effects, impacting their quality of life. Traditional follow-up models are resource-intensive and increasingly unsustainable. Digital follow-up systems incorporating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may offer a scalable, individualized solution. This study evaluates the feasibility of DCCL-PRO, a mobile application designed to support personalized, need-based follow-up care for breast cancer survivors. The app aims to facilitate early identification of recurrence or late effects, reduce unnecessary hospital visits, improve self-management, and support adherence to adjuvant therapy.\nMaterials and Methods. The DCCL-PRO smartphone application was developed to collect PRO data via validated questionnaires at defined intervals during treatment and follow-up. Patients receive real-time feedback, and alerts are issued to clinicians via a secure web-based interface. Feasibility was assessed through usability testing, patient engagement metrics, and real-world implementation in Danish breast cancer follow-up programs.\nResults. Usability testing (n=30) revealed high satisfaction, with mean scores of 8.5/10 for content and 9.0/10 for feedback. In a real-world cohort (n=514), 70% of newly diagnosed patients actively used the app, indicating satisfactory adoption and engagement.\nConclusion. DCCL-PRO demonstrates feasibility as a digital, PRO-based follow-up system that can enhance patient engagement, facilitate early detection of complications, and improve healthcare efficiency by enabling personalized, need-based follow-up, thus reducing unnecessary hospital visits. 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