About this Research Topic

Background

Digital health research focuses on bringing digital tools to healthcare, which has great potential to improve cancer patient management. It brings together different tools, such as the advances in informatics and technology in medicine and aspects of e-healthcare. Digital health in oncology is increasing interest from various stakeholders, including patients, physicians, multidisciplinary team providers, and healthcare enterprises.

The journey of cancer patients can be long and complex. It includes the need for a multidisciplinary team, education, and support during all treatment scenarios. Digital health tools are now being used at different times during cancer treatment: diagnosis, specific cancer treatments (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, target therapy), palliative care, survivorship, or to increase recruitment for clinical trials. Moreover, different methods for incorporating technology are now used to assist cancer patients throughout the treatment journey: electronic patient-reported outcome applications, mobile apps, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and web-based digital solutions.

Digital health research in gynecological oncology is a relatively recent topic, and there are several gaps in knowledge about the best way to use the latest technologies for patients. The goal of this research topic is to describe the recent advances in the use of digital health tools to improve the journey of patients with ovaries, vagina, uterus, cervix, vulva cancer, and other gynecological-related malignancies; evaluate the validation of different digital solutions in randomized clinical trials; review and summarize the use of digital health technologies during the various scenarios of gynecological cancer patients (diagnosis, curative treatment, palliative treatment, survivorship); and describe the new perspectives with the use of digital health for women with cancer.

More specifically, this Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Perspectives, Reviews, Editorials, Methods, Mini Reviews, Opinions, Systematic Reviews, and Clinical Trials on:
• New developments of digital tools to improve women’s cancer care;
• Barriers to the use of digital health in gynecological oncology;
• Use of electronic patient-reported outcome (PRO) and real-time PRO, electronic patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) in gynecological oncology;
• Validation of big data in different scenarios of women’s cancer care;
• Use of telemedicine for gynecological cancer patients;
• Efficacy of the use of mobile apps and wearable devices to improve treatment outcomes in gynecological cancer patients;
• Role of the use of the internet of things (IoT) or internet of medical things (IoMT) during gynecological cancers treatment;
• Web-based digital solutions (e.g., cloud solutions, web platforms, websites) as educational tools for women with cancer and facilitators for clinical trial recruitment.

Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) will not be accepted in any of the sections of Frontiers in Oncology.

Keywords: Digital health, cancer patients, artificial intelligence, mobile apps, patient report outcome, electronic PRO, electronic PROM

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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