OBJECTIVES: Smartphone applications that help patients manage specific diseases or health conditions are now more prevalent than ever, comprising 47% of all consumer smartphone applications in 2021.⁽¹⁾ This study reviews the demographics of patients who used a smartphone application to self-report their medications, symptoms and wellbeing.

METHODS: A retrospective demographic analysis was performed of UK cancer patients who voluntarily downloaded the Vinehealth Cancer Companion smartphone application between January 2020 and May 2022.

RESULTS: 2,410 patients voluntarily downloaded the application during the time period. Of patients who reported their gender, 69% were female, 30% were male, and 1% preferred not to say. Of patients who reported their date of birth, the age distribution was as follows: 18-24 (2%), 25-34 (10%), 35-44 (20%), 45-54 (33%), 55-64 (21%), 65-74 (11%) and 75+ (3%). Of the 176 different types of cancer patients reported, the 5 most prevalent types of cancer were: breast (32%), bowel/colorectal (15%), head and neck (6%), skin (6%) and prostate (5%). This closely aligns with the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the UK⁽²⁾, with the exception of lung cancer that was reported by only 4% of patients using the application while accounting for 13% of new cancer cases in the UK.⁽³⁾ In addition, 60% of bowel cancer patients who used the application were female and 40% were male, whereas 57% of UK bowel cancer diagnoses occurred in males and 43% in females⁽⁴⁾.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients across a wide range of ages and types of cancer voluntarily use smartphone applications like the Vinehealth Cancer Companion to help manage aspects of their cancer experience. This demographic data can be useful for informing where to focus expanding the use of digital health tools and increasing patient engagement in under-represented populations based upon type of cancer, patient gender, or other demographics.