Can a smartphone app ease cancer pain? duke study tests new tool
NCT ID NCT05686122
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tested a mobile app called PainPac designed to help people with colorectal cancer manage pain. The app provides coping strategies and tracks symptoms in real time. Researchers enrolled 62 adults with stage I-IV colorectal cancer to see if the app was easy to use and acceptable to patients. The goal was to gather data for a larger future trial, not to prove the app reduces pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
Active substance
PainPac mobile app (behavioral pain coping intervention)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could lead to a scalable, low-cost tool to help cancer patients manage pain at home.
What could go wrong
This was a small, early feasibility study (62 participants) with no control group, so it cannot prove the app actually reduces pain. Results may not apply to all patients.
Disclaimer
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This is a summary of
the original study
.
Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
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Locations
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Duke Cancer Institute
Durham, North Carolina, 27705, United States