Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma—a type of kidney cancer that has spread to other organs—often experience distress, functional impairment, treatment side effects, and reduced quality of life. They may benefit from adjunctive treatments that help reduce distress and support effective coping. Studies have demonstrated the benefits of mindfulness-based programs for cancer patients, but access to these programs is not always easy. Patients may face financial or mobility constraints, lack the time, or live in geographically remote areas.
Delivering mindfulness training through smartphone apps offers a potential solution to these access barriers. Bergerot et al. [The Oncologist] evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness-based app for cancer patients in Brazil and the United States undergoing immunotherapy for advanced renal cell cancer who were experiencing heightened anxiety.
The researchers recruited 50 Brazilian and U.S. patients receiving immunotherapy for Stage 4 renal cell carcinoma who reported high levels of anxiety (average age = 59 years; 68% Brazilian; 68% male; 64% White). Participants received free access to the Mindfulness-Based Cancer Survivorship Journey (MBCSJ) app. Brazilian patients used the app in Portuguese, while U.S. patients used it in English. They were encouraged to use the app 20-30 minutes daily for a minimum of four days per week across four weeks.
The MBCSJ content included guided body, breath-focused, open awareness, compassion, walking, and mindful movement meditations. It also included suggestions for coping with cancer, mindful imagery exercises, and opportunities for journaling.
Patients were assessed at baseline and at weeks 2,4, and 12 for anxiety, depression, fatigue, fear of recurrence, quality of life, and mindfulness (using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale). Feasibility was defined aa at least 50% of patients completing three or more sessions per week for at least two weeks. Acceptability was measured by an open-ended post-intervention survey.
The results showed that by week 4, 75% of patients reported high adherence to the app and symptom improvement. The cohort reported significant improvements in anxiety (d = 1.82), depression (d= 0.99), fear of recurrence (d= 1.55), fatigue (d=0.74), mindfulness (d = 1.03) and quality of life (d = 0.91) over time. Patients with high adherence reported liking the app, while those with low adherence cited difficulties using the app, lack of improvement, lack of interest, or interfering life events.
The study observes that a mindfulness-based cancer support digital app is feasible and acceptable for most Brazilian and U.S. metastatic renal cancer patients receiving immunotherapy and experiencing high levels of anxiety. However, as a pilot study, the interpretation is limited by its small sample size and lack of a control condition.
Most studies of mindfulness-based cancer treatments have focused on patient with localized cancers who have competed active treatment. This study suggests a mindfulness app may be helpful for people with metastatic disease who are still undergoing intensive treatment.
Reference:
Bergerot, C. D., Bergerot, P. G., Philip, E. J., ... Pal, S. K. (2025). Feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness app-based intervention among patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: A multinational study. The Oncologist.
Link to study
