Photo Credit: Lazy Bear

Wearable activity trackers may enhance prognostication for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) by providing objective metrics to complement traditional performance status (PS) assessments, according to a study published in Clinical Lung Cancer. Fifty-five patients with mNSCLC were given wearable devices that tracked steps, distance, heart rate, and activity intensity. The researchers defined novel indices—Heart rate Activity zone Mismatch (HAM) and excessive Sedentary Heart Rate (eSHR)—and used Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographics and treatment to evaluate the impact of clinical and fitness metrics on overall survival (OS). Median OS was 10.4 months. Both PS (HR, 2.0; P<0.001) and device metrics, including daily steps (HR, 0.8; P=0.004), HAM (HR, 2; P=0.02), and eSHR (HR, 0.3; P=0.001), were significantly associated with OS. The best concordance was achieved with a model including PS as assessed by the physician (C-index, 0.75), suggesting that tracker-based measures may be valuable supplements or alternatives to PS in oncology.