Abstract A098: Preliminary results of the wearable devices and remote toxicity checks to predict health outcomes in pancreatic cancer (WATCH-PC) study
Emil Hodzic-Santor, Andrew CL. Lam, Daniela Bevacqua, Syeda Mariam Hasnain, Rachel Ding, Dorian Facey, Stephanie Ramotar, Faiyaz Notta, Anna Dodd, Julie Wilson, Kevin Wang, Erica Tsang, Elena Elimova, Raymond Jang, Jennifer Knox, Steven Gallinger, Robert GrantAbstract
Background:
Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal malignancy projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death by 2030. Regardless of stage, chemotherapy remains a core component of treatment. However, these chemotherapy regimens are associated with severe toxicities that impair quality of life and often result in life threatening complications leading to treatment delays, hospitalizations, and worse survival outcomes. While clinic visits with oncology teams provide general oversight, these intermittent visits offer only static snapshots of toxicities that are inherently dynamic and fluctuate daily. Affordable and accessible wearable technology like smartwatches can bridge this gap by providing continuous patient monitoring between visits and may lead to earlier recognition of toxicities, facilitating timely medical intervention.
Objective:
To evaluate the performance, acceptability, and feasibility of wearable devices and patient-reported outcomes questionnaires to detect treatment toxicities before clinical recognition using a machine learning model.
Methods:
Patients ≥18 years old with a pathologically confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer of any stage and actively undergoing chemotherapy in the outpatient setting were eligible for inclusion to WATCH-PC. Patients were provided a Fitbit smartwatch to wear for the 6-month study duration. The device recorded daily biometric data including resting heart rate, step count, and caloric output, among other biometric data. In parallel, participants completed a validated symptom survey twice weekly, assessing common chemotherapy-associated symptoms (e.g., appetite, nausea, pain) graded by severity and weekly quality of life questionnaires rated on a 7-point likert scale. Participants also completed surveys evaluating the usability and perceived burden of wearing the Fitbit.
Results:
As of July 2026, 47 participants have enrolled in WATCH-PC, with 12/47 (26%) having completed the 6-month study period and 22/47 (47%) reporting at least 28 days of biometric data. During the monitoring period, 7/22 (32%) patients had either an emergency department visit (27%) or hospitalization (27%) for any reason. Quality of life surveys were completed by 43/47 (91%) of study participants. Ease-of-use responses were positive: 22/35 (66%) of users never reported any burden associated with wearing the smartwatch and 30/35 (86%) of users described the watch as helpful for monitoring their own health on at least one occasion. The most cited response among the 11/47 (23%) of participants that withdrew consent was the burden of the survey itself.
Conclusion:
Preliminary results demonstrate that continuous monitoring via a consumer wearable is feasible and well-accepted by patients with pancreatic cancer. The WATCH-PC study continues to enrol patients with the aim of developing a predictive model to identify pancreatic cancer patients who are at the highest risk of hospitalization and other adverse events using biometric data and patient-reported changes in quality of life.
Citation Format:
Emil Hodzic-Santor, Andrew CL. Lam, Daniela Bevacqua, Syeda Mariam Hasnain, Rachel Ding, Dorian Facey, Stephanie Ramotar, Faiyaz Notta, Anna Dodd, Julie Wilson, Kevin Wang, Erica Tsang, Elena Elimova, Raymond Jang, Jennifer Knox, Steven Gallinger, Robert Grant. Preliminary results of the wearable devices and remote toxicity checks to predict health outcomes in pancreatic cancer (WATCH-PC) study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: New Frontiers in Biology and Therapeutic Development; 2026 Sep 25-28; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(18_Suppl_2):Abstract nr A098.