Wearable devices in oncology care: from continuous data to clinical decision-making
26/01/2026
In recent years, the use of wearables in oncology has moved beyond being merely promising and has advanced toward increasingly structured applications in clinical practice. A study published in JAMA Oncology highlights how activity sensors, smartwatches, and wearable devices can transform the patient journey by providing continuous data—something that cannot be achieved through in-person consultations alone.
Studies point to three key developments in this landscape:
More sensitive clinical monitoring
Objective movement metrics are beginning to complement performance status in tumors such as lung cancer, bringing greater precision to therapeutic decision-making.
Structured remote care
Pilot studies integrating wearables with electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) demonstrate high adherence and the ability to identify toxicities and declines in functional performance at an early stage.
Survival and quality of life
Meta-analyses in cancer survivors show that wearable-guided programs increase physical activity levels and improve health and well-being indicators.
The current challenge is to move from data collection to effective integration into clinical workflows, ensuring interoperability, clear action criteria, and care models capable of translating continuous signals into practical decisions.
The perspective from clinical practice
To further explore this topic, we spoke with Dr. Janot Gustavo Faissol Janot de Matos, an intensivist physician at Einstein Hospital Israelita and a specialist in Patient Safety, who shared his perspective on the role of remote monitoring in oncology care.
According to Dr. Janot, continuous remote monitoring through wearable devices represents a structural shift in the oncology patient surveillance model. Instead of intermittent assessments—such as vital sign measurements every six to eight hours on the ward or only during in-person consultations—wearables enable a continuous, real-time flow of physiological data.
These devices can capture variations in heart rate, respiration, oxygen saturation, temperature, and movement patterns, creating a much more detailed view of the patient’s clinical condition. In practice, this makes it possible to identify risks, toxicities, and signs of deterioration that, under the traditional model, would only be detected during an in-person evaluation.
With this expanded visibility, care teams can intervene earlier, recalibrate therapeutic plans, activate rapid response teams, and ultimately prevent progression to more severe conditions. This represents an advancement toward care that is faster, more precise, and safer.
What lies ahead
Looking ahead to the next three to five years, Dr. Janot highlights that wearable devices are expected to undergo significant evolution. The trend is toward lighter, smaller, and more comfortable devices, enabling continuous use without disrupting patients’ daily routines.
In addition, increased accessibility will allow monitoring to expand beyond hospitalized patients to include ambulatory and post-discharge settings. Another central development will be integration with surveillance platforms and artificial intelligence, enabling predictive analyses capable of anticipating sepsis, toxicities associated with chemotherapy or immunobiological treatments, respiratory complications, and early signs of clinical deterioration.
In this scenario, oncology is likely to evolve toward a model in which the patient remains continuously connected, supported by a digital layer of protection that enhances care safety, reduces avoidable hospitalizations, and enables increasingly early and qualified interventions.
