August 6, 2026, 3:42 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
For many women with advanced breast cancer, any improvement in quality of life is crucial. A new study from Berlin’s Charité hospital now shows that not only medications and therapies play a role. A digital app could significantly help those affected feel fitter and less exhausted in their daily lives.
Charité Study with More Than 900 Patients
Each year, around 21,000 women in Germany are diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Once the cancer has spread to other organs, it is considered incurable. The treatment primarily aims to slow the progression of the disease and alleviate symptoms.
This is achieved not only with the help of medications, as shown by the study from Berlin’s Charité, published this week in the renowned journal “JAMA Oncology.”1 More than 900 women with metastatic breast cancer from 52 breast cancer centers participated in the study.
The participants were divided into two groups: One received regular medical care without additional digital support. The other group was accompanied by an app and answered weekly questions via smartphone about symptoms such as pain, fatigue, or physical limitations.
App Automatically Reports Deteriorations
The core of the concept is the Ida-Care app. If the reported symptoms worsened, the system automatically triggered an alert. Trained nurses or doctors were informed and had to contact the affected individuals by phone within 48 hours. The goal: to identify health problems early and counteract them as much as possible before hospitalization becomes necessary.
Less Fatigue and Better Physical Fitness
The results were clear. After six months, the women accompanied digitally showed less fatigue than the participants in the comparison group. They were also physically more capable.
According to scientific criteria, the difference was significant enough to be classified as clinically relevant. This means that the improvements were likely noticeable in the patients’ daily lives.
This finding is particularly important because so-called fatigue is one of the most burdensome side effects of cancer. Studies show that between 70 and 90 percent of all breast cancer patients suffer from this pronounced exhaustion.2
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Digital Support Instead of New Therapy
What is remarkable about the study is that neither a new drug nor an innovative therapy was tested. Instead, the focus was on whether close digital monitoring could improve care. The app does not replace doctors or nursing staff. Rather, it serves to recognize warning signals early and organize quick support.
Prospect of Standard Care for Statutory Insured
The positive results could now impact patient care. The Federal Joint Committee (GBA) has already recommended, based on the available data, making the care concept accessible to those with statutory insurance.3 This means that digital support could potentially become part of standard care for women with metastatic breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Germany. Statistically, one in eight women will develop it during her lifetime. Despite significant advances in treatment, about 20 percent of those affected develop metastases over the course of their illness. For these patients, the app could offer an additional way to stabilize their quality of life and feel better supported in everyday life.