MIAMI, FLORIDA – A groundbreaking study led by Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN, co-leader of the Cancer Control Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, reveals that remote perioperative monitoring (RPM) substantially enhances recovery for cancer surgery patients. This research, published in npj Digital Medicine, compared RPM care to traditional surgeon-only care in 293 patients undergoing major abdominal or pelvic surgeries for gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or gynecologic cancers.
The study’s participants in the RPM group utilized wristband accelerometers and reported symptoms via a mobile app both before surgery and at regular intervals post-discharge. Triage nurses proactively contacted patients when data deviated from preset thresholds, while the control group received only automated messages. The results were compelling, showing a 6% greater functional recovery rate by day 14 after surgery (p = 0.036) and fewer major complications (p = 0.004). Patients also reported improved symptom management and less interference with daily activities.
Bridging the Gap Between Hospital and Home
“The first two weeks after discharge are critical,” stated Crane, who also serves as the director of lifestyle medicine, prevention, and digital health at Sylvester. “RPM care helps bridge the gap between hospital and home, catching issues early and supporting recovery.”
The study underscored the importance of patient-reported outcomes and digital biomarkers, offering a scalable and unobtrusive method to monitor recovery. It included both English and Spanish-speaking participants, most of whom used their own devices. “We designed this study to reflect real-world conditions,” Crane noted. “Our goal was to ensure the intervention was feasible and meaningful for patients and providers.”
Integrating Technology and Human Touch
Central to Crane’s efforts is the My Wellness Research platform, developed under her leadership. This platform collects patient-generated data such as nutrition, exercise, and wearable device inputs, integrating it with clinical, genomic, imaging, and sociodemographic information to create a comprehensive cancer data ecosystem. It enables remote monitoring and personalized treatment planning by allowing patients, health coaches, and providers to communicate and track progress in real-time.
While technology plays a pivotal role in patient outcomes, Crane emphasized the necessity of human intervention. “It’s the human response to these data that makes the difference,” she explained. “To me, it’s, ‘How do we work with computational sciences and digital health — all these technology methods — while still respecting and knowing when the human needs to be involved?'”
Historical Context and Future Directions
Crane’s interest in digital innovation began over a decade ago during the LIVES study, a non-pharmacologic ovarian cancer trial involving more than 1,200 participants across 100 cancer centers. To efficiently manage a centralized, telephone-based intervention, she developed a cloud-based system that digitally recorded sessions, enabling fidelity monitoring and streamlined study management.
These recordings revealed untapped behavioral data, prompting a National Cancer Institute grant to build natural language processing models that could analyze conversations, predict coaching needs, and identify retraining opportunities. At Sylvester, Crane incorporated these insights into the My Wellness Research platform, which records intervention sessions for protocol monitoring and a deeper understanding of patient needs, including language and symptom variations.
Expanding the Horizon of Cancer Care
In addition to RPM, Dr. Crane leads several other studies at Sylvester focused on lifestyle behaviors and cancer outcomes, including:
- A National Cancer Institute-funded study exploring personalized nutrition interventions for ovarian cancer patients.
- A clinical trial investigating how diet and physical activity can reduce recurrence risk in survivors of breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
- Collaborative research with Sylvester’s survivorship program to develop digital tools that support long-term lifestyle changes.
These initiatives reflect Crane’s commitment to integrating lifestyle behavioral science into oncology care, helping patients and their support persons thrive during and after treatment. Her work offers a glimpse into the future of surgical oncology, where digital tools, interdisciplinary collaboration, and patient-centered care converge.
“This is a call to innovate,” she said. “Tomorrow’s providers should be comfortable with data streams from connected devices to harness these data and collaborate across disciplines, putting patients at the center of every decision. Technology can help us do this.”
