How fitness trackers could help victims

FITNESS trackers could help improve survival among cancer patients, a study suggests.

Apps that record the amount of time people are in bed or active give clinicians a clearer picture of their patients’ health, particularly if they are trying to give doctors an over-optimistic impression, researchers said. The technology could be used by the NHS, according to lead researcher Dr Jorge Nieva. The findings will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting this weekend.

Dr Nieva, of the University of Southern Carolina, said: ‘Our clinical interactions are relatively short with patients so we don’t have a huge amount of time to put people through their paces to evaluate what their performance status actually is.’