ArticleNPJ digital medicine2025
Mobile health intervention CanRelax reduces distress in people with cancer in a randomized controlled trial.
Article in NPJ digital medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Physical Activity Interventions Using Digital Health Interventions for Cancer-Related Fatigue in People With a History of Cancer: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Association between working alliance and treatment outcomes in a mobile health intervention with a conversational agent (CanRelax).Internet interventions · 2026Article
- Long-Term Usage of Breeze, a Gamified Breathing Training App, and Its Effect on Momentary Relaxation in People With Cancer: Cohort Study.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Mindfulness and relaxation exercises are effective face-to-face interventions for reducing distress in people with cancer. Their effectiveness in mobile health settings has yet to be investigated. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the CanRelax 2 app in reducing distress in people with cancer. German-speaking adults diagnosed with cancer within the last five years with elevated distress levels (Distress Thermometer ≥5) were recruited. Participants were randomized to the CanRelax 2 app or a waitlist control group. The primary endpoint was the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale (PHQ-ADS) after 10 weeks (210 participants). We observed a clinically meaningful larger reduction in PHQ-ADS scores in the intervention group compared to the control group (-3.7, 95%-CI from -5.7 to -1.6; p = 0.0005). Similar effects were found for distress, well-being, and self-regulation. Our results confirm the effectiveness of a mobile health app in reducing distress in people with cancer. Registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00027546) on 23.02.2022.
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Registered trials
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