Careology app boosted to help young people with cancer

An app for young people with cancer at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust has been enhanced to provide personalised wellbeing content from charity the Ella Dawson Foundation.

The Careology app launched at the trust, which has a leading centre for teenagers and young people with cancer, in 2023, funded by the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Since the start of September 2024 clinicians have been able to ‘prescribe’ wellbeing content from the Ella Dawson Foundation via the app, which is specifically tailored for younger people, including information on mental health, exercise, hair loss and finding like-minded friends.

The content includes first-hand advice and stories, some of which were written by Ella Dawson, who died of blood cancer in 2021 aged 24.

Patents aged 18-30 have access to features including symptom and side effect monitoring, medication schedules and tracking, journaling and articles to help self-manage their treatment at home.

Natasha Dawson, founder of the Ella Dawson Foundation, said: “Through the two years of my sister, Ella’s treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia she saw the vital importance of wellbeing support, however found this rarely available and difficult to access.

“To be able to provide dedicated wellbeing support to young adults living with and beyond cancer is a huge driver for me and the Ella Dawson Foundation.

“By working with Careology and making our content for younger people available through its patient app, we will be able to reach more people who need us as they navigate their diagnosis and treatment.

“This age range has a unique set of needs in order to feel, move, eat and live well, through and beyond cancer. We, like Careology, want to make sure we reach every single person who could benefit from our support.”

In the UK,  24 young adults in their late teens, twenties and early thirties are diagnosed with cancer every day and there has been a 22% increase in incidence rates in under 24-year-olds since the early 2000, according to figures from Cancer Research UK. However, younger people with cancer have unique needs and often feel isolated through treatment in a system which does not cater well for them. 

Paul Landau, chief executive of Careology, said: “Any cancer diagnosis is especially daunting for young people with lots to learn and remember, and keep on top of, with a schedule of seemingly endless appointments to attend.

“At Careology, we want to make sure everyone on the app feels better connected and has access to the right information at the right time for them.

“Bringing the Ella Dawson Foundation’s content onto the app means that we can help even more young people living and dealing with cancer.”

The app also includes content from Macmillan, Cancer Research UK and the NHS.

Clinicians at The Royal Marsden are able to monitor patients through data they enter onto the app so that care teams can intervene if  a symptom such as nausea is severe, before it becomes more complex.

Careology is also working with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Nuffield Health and Lloyds Pharmacy Clinical Homecare to transform how cancer care is delivered.