Support app for young cancer patients launches in UK

Rates of cancer among people aged 24 and below are rising fast, but health systems are often not catering well enough to the specific needs of this age group.

A new partnership has been set up between the Ella Dawson Foundation, a UK-based charity for young people with cancer, and digital cancer care company Careology to try to tackle that deficit and improve their treatment and wellbeing.

According to Cancer Research UK, there has been a 22% increase in cancer in the zero to 24 age bracket since the early 2000s – mostly in the 20-24 range – which was a bigger percentage change than in any other age group and well above the 9% increase seen in over-75s.

Sadly, the incidence of early-onset cancers is expected to continue to rise, driven by factors like sedentary lifestyles, consumption of ultra-processed foods, and obesity.

The Ella Dawson Foundation was established in 2022 as a legacy to Ella, who sadly died, aged just 24, after two years of treatment for an aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). It focuses on the provision of psychology, counselling, exercise rehabilitation, nutrition, and wellbeing support for young people with cancer.

The Foundation has collaborated with Careology on the development of targeted and personalised content for people living with cancer who are aged 18 to 30, delivered using the Careology app, which is already recommended for use by charity Macmillan Cancer Support.

That includes a range of features including symptom and side effect monitoring, medication schedules and tracking, advice on journalling to help process a diagnosis and reduce stress, and articles to help them self-manage their treatment at home.

At the same time, clinicians can access the data entered by patients to help monitor their progress, picking up factors that could require intervention, such as nausea caused by drug treatment.

Macmillan is also contributing content to the app, along with Cancer Research UK, cancer support group Maggie's, and the NHS.

"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," said Natasha Dawson, who founded the charity.

"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."

The new features of Careology's app are initially rolling out in partnership with the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, one of the largest clinical care centres for early-onset cancer in Europe.

According to Amy Chilton, who was 23 when she was treated at the Royal Marsden, the app can be a good support tool for patients as "navigating appointments and managing symptoms can be overwhelming during such a challenging time."

"Having an app like Careology to guide patients to information, support, and organisations such as the Ella Dawson Foundation, both during and after treatment, is an amazing idea," she added.

"It makes these resources accessible to everyone and takes a lot of pressure off patients."