In a groundbreaking advance aimed at enhancing the quality of life for cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy, researchers have developed and tested a novel intervention program that integrates technology-enhanced home exercise with acupressure, known as the TEHEplus program. This innovative 12-week regimen is designed to alleviate a spectrum of debilitating symptoms such as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression that frequently beset patients during their treatment journey.
The multidimensional impact of immunotherapy, while revolutionary in combating cancer, often carries with it a burden of side effects that significantly impair patients’ physical and emotional well-being. Addressing this challenge, the TEHEplus program combines the evidence-based benefits of structured home exercise facilitated by digital technologies with targeted acupressure techniques. This dual approach leverages both physical activity’s ability to improve functional health and acupressure’s potential in modulating symptomatology through non-pharmacological means.
Researchers employed a rigorous two-phase design to develop and evaluate this program. Initial development involved detailed feedback from cancer survivors, ensuring the digital platforms, including the smartphone application and online training modules, met user needs and were accessible across a range of ages and technological literacy levels. This phase was crucial to optimize usability and engagement strategies ahead of clinical testing.
In the subsequent pilot feasibility phase, 40 participants with solid tumor cancers receiving immunotherapy were enrolled from prominent cancer centers in Maryland. These individuals were randomly assigned to one of four groups: a usual care control, a technology-enhanced home exercise group without acupressure, an acupressure-only group, and the integrated TEHEplus group. This design allowed for comparative analysis of individual and combined intervention effects on symptom burden and functional status.
Feasibility metrics, including recruitment duration, adherence to prescribed exercises and acupressure protocols, as well as daily survey completion rates, were meticulously tracked. Notably, while adherence presented challenges common in real-world settings, TEHEplus participants achieved 50% of their exercise goals and an impressively high 78% adherence to recommended acupoint stimulation, demonstrating the program’s practicality and acceptability in this patient population.
Clinical outcomes revealed that the TEHEplus group experienced statistically significant improvements in fatigue reduction and social functioning enhancement, with a positive trend observed in pain management, highlighting the synergistic potential of combining exercise with acupressure. In contrast, the group engaging in technology-enhanced exercise alone showed significant improvement solely in social functioning, underscoring the additive benefit acupressure may contribute.
The study also ventured into exploring biological markers by measuring serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) levels, hypothesized to reflect neuroplastic and stress-response mechanisms involved in symptom manifestation and recovery. While data on these biomarkers were preliminary, their inclusion marks a novel step toward elucidating the mechanistic underpinnings of symptom alleviation via integrative therapies.
Importantly, this feasibility trial illuminated several operational lessons, including the need for enhanced strategies to maintain long-term engagement and compliance, especially considering the heterogeneous physical capabilities and motivational levels of cancer patients undergoing intensive treatments. It also illuminated the potential for digital health tools to personalize and support symptom management outside clinical settings.
The implications extend beyond mere symptom control; by fostering improved physical performance and psychological well-being, the TEHEplus program may contribute to overall survivorship quality, potentially reducing healthcare utilization and enhancing treatment outcomes. Moreover, its home-based nature aligns with current trends toward decentralizing care and empowering patients through self-managed interventions.
While the study’s relatively small sample size and pilot nature limit broad generalizations, it lays substantial groundwork for future large-scale randomized controlled trials. These subsequent studies are essential to confirm efficacy, optimize intervention parameters, and explore long-term benefits across diverse populations with varying cancer types and stages.
As the medical community increasingly embraces integrative oncology approaches, the TEHEplus program exemplifies how combining advanced technology with traditional complementary techniques can yield measurable benefits for symptom management. Such hybrid interventions may redefine supportive care paradigms for immunotherapy recipients, offering scalable, patient-centered solutions that address the complex interplay of physical and psychological challenges inherent in cancer treatment.
Looking forward, refining the mobile application’s user interface, incorporating real-time feedback mechanisms, and tailoring exercise and acupressure protocols to individual patient profiles hold promise to further enhance adherence and outcomes. Additionally, integrating patient-reported outcome measures with biomarker data could provide a comprehensive framework for personalized symptom management.
This pioneering feasibility study not only reinforces the plausibility of home-based, technology-enhanced integrative approaches but also signals a paradigm shift in supportive cancer care strategies. As immunotherapy continues to reshape oncology, parallel innovations in symptom management like TEHEplus will be critical to ensuring patients achieve optimal quality of life during and after their treatment journey.
The research team behind this study underscores the importance of continued interdisciplinary collaborations to expand such interventions, incorporating insights from oncology, rehabilitation sciences, digital health, and complementary medicine. Their work paves the way for more holistic, patient-centered models that transcend conventional treatment boundaries, reflecting the future of cancer care.
This promising exploration into the TEHEplus program sets a new benchmark for feasibility studies targeting symptom relief in complex clinical settings, coupling technological advances with traditional healing philosophies. It gestures toward an era where multi-modal, accessible home-based therapies become standard adjuncts in comprehensive cancer care protocols.
Overall, the TEHEplus initiative exemplifies innovative thinking in reconciling technological capabilities with patient-centric care needs, crafting a therapeutic alliance between modern medicine and time-honored acupressure practices. Such integrative efforts may ultimately usher in improved survivorship trajectories for immunotherapy-treated cancer patients worldwide.
ClinicalTrials.gov registration for this trial is recorded under identifier NCT03576274, marking this as a critical step in the systematic investigation necessary to validate and refine this novel therapeutic approach. As further data emerge, the oncology community eagerly anticipates confirmation of TEHEplus’s efficacy and scalability across broader clinical contexts.
Subject of Research: Combined technology-enhanced home exercise and acupressure program for symptom management in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy
Article Title: Combined technology-enhanced home exercise and acupressure (TEHEplus) program on symptoms among cancer patients receiving immunotherapy: a feasibility study
Article References:
Lukkahatai, N., Benjasirisan, C., Shen, A. et al. Combined technology-enhanced home exercise and acupressure (TEHEplus) program on symptoms among cancer patients receiving immunotherapy: a feasibility study. BMC Cancer 25, 1481 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14887-2
Image Credits: Scienmag.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14887-2
