AI-Supported Psycho-Oncology Care for Breast Cancer: A Case Report on Digital Biomarkers and Post-Mastectomy Distress
- Authors
-
-
Meriem Lameri
Department of Serology and Cell Therapy, National Blood Transfusion Center, Tunisia
-
Yosr Trabelsi
Department of Pharmacy, National Marrow Bone Transplant Center, Tunisia
-
Tarek Kamergi
Department of Pharmacy, National Marrow Bone Transplant Center, Tunisia
-
-
Linda Bouallegue
Department of Pharmacy, National Marrow Bone Transplant Center, Tunisia
-
-
-
- Keywords:
- Artificial Intelligence, Breast Cancer, Digital Biomarkers, Mastectomy, Psycho-Oncology
- Abstract
-
Psychosocial distress has been demonstrated to have a significant impact on the quality of life and treatment adherence of patients diagnosed with breast cancer. The integration of digital biomarkers with artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a novel approach for the timely detection and management of distress. This case report describes a 42-year-old female breast cancer patient who experienced severe psychosocial distress following the commencement of chemotherapy and subsequent mastectomy. The utilisation of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital biomarkers, derived from smartphone applications, in conjunction with the analysis of digital communications and virtual conversational assistance (e.g. ChatGPT), enabled clinicians to expeditiously identify early indications of distress and promptly implement bespoke psychosocial interventions. The early identification of psychological distress in patients receiving cancer treatment has been demonstrated to result in significant improvements in their psychological health, treatment adherence, and overall quality of life. This underscores the potential of artificial intelligence-supported psycho-oncology interventions. The study observed improvements in the following areas: increased regularity of sleep, increased physical activity levels, and normalised heart-rate variability patterns, as detected via Google Fit. These improvements were accompanied by reduced anxiety and improved emotional stability during the follow-up period.
- References
-
Abdelaziz, S., Abdo, O., Abdalgeleel, S., & Mahmoud, H. (2022).Relationship Between Fear, Anxiety and Chemotherapy Adherence among Patients Having Breast Cancer During COVID-19. Menoufia Nursing Journal,7(2), 293–303. https://doi.org/10.21608/menj.2022.270859
Aitken, L.-A., & Hossan, S. Z. (2022). The Psychological Distress and Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Survivors in Sydney, Australia. Healthcare, 10(10), 2017. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10102017
Fakhari, S., Pourfathi, H., Farzin, H., & Bilehjani, E. (2018). Post-Mastectomy Phantom Breast Syndrome. Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Cancer Research, 3(4), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.30699/jogcr.3.4.1
Fouladi, N., Pourfarzi, F., Ali-Mohammadi, H., Masumi, A., Agamohammadi, M., & Mazaheri, E. (2013). Process of Coping with Mastectomy: a Qualitative Study in Iran. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 14(3), 2079–2084. https://doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2013.14.3.2079
Garzón-Partida, A. P., Padilla-Gómez, C. B., Martínez-Fernández, D. E., García-Estrada, J., Luquin, S., & Fernández-Quezada, D. (2025). The implementation of digital biomarkers in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of mood disorders: a narrative review. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1595243
Goumas, G., Dardavesis, T. I., Syrigos, K., Syrigos, N., & Simou, E. (2024). Chatbots in Cancer Applications, Advantages and Disadvantages: All that Glitters Is Not Gold. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 14(8), 877. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14080877
Haddou, M. B., El Mouaddib, H., Haddou, Z. B., Khouchani, M., & Khoudri, N. El. (2024). Assessment of mental well-being and psychological distress in Moroccan breast cancer patients. Dementia & Neuropsychologia, 18. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-5764-dn-2024-0145
Heidari, M., Shahbazi, S., & Ghodusi, M. (2015). Evaluation of body esteem and mental health in patients with breast cancer after mastectomy. Journal of Mid-Life Health, 6(4), 173. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-7800.172345
Maass, S. W. M. C., Boerman, L. M., Verhaak, P. F. M., Du, J., de Bock, G. H., & Berendsen, A. J. (2019). Long-term psychological distress in breast cancer survivors and their matched controls: A cross-sectional study. Maturitas, 130, 6–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.09.003
Neha, F., Bhati, D., Shukla, D. K., & Amiruzzaman, M. (2024). ChatGPT: Transforming Healthcare with AI. AI, 5(4), 2618–2650. https://doi.org/10.3390/ai5040126
Olawade, D. B., Wada, O. Z., Odetayo, A., David-Olawade, A. C., Asaolu, F., & Eberhardt, J. (2024). Enhancing mental health with Artificial Intelligence: Current trends and future prospects. Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health, 3, 100099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glmedi.2024.100099
Park, J.-H., Chun, M., Bae, S. H., Woo, J., Chon, E., & Kim, H. J. (2024). Factors influencing psychological distress among breast cancer survivors using machine learning techniques.Scientific Reports, 14(1), 15052. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65132-y
Park, J.-H., Jung, Y. S., Hur, M. H., & Jeong, Y. J. (2024). Psychological Distress and Influencing Factors in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study. Korean Journal of Adult Nursing, 36(4), 311. https://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2024.36.4.311
Roy, N., Downes, M. H., Ibelli, T., Amakiri, U. O., Li, T., Tebha, S. S., Balija, T. M., Schnur, J. B., Montgomery, G. H., & Henderson, P. W. (2024). The psychological impacts of post-mastectomy breast reconstruction: a systematic review. Annals of Breast Surgery, 8, 19–19. https://doi.org/10.21037/abs-23-33
Rudroff, T. (2025). Digital Biomarkers and AI for Remote Monitoring of Fatigue Progression in Neurological Disorders: Bridging Mechanisms to Clinical Applications. Brain Sciences, 15(5), 533. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15050533
Singer, S., Blettner, M., Kreienberg, R., Janni, W., Wöckel, A., Kühn, T., Felberbaum, R., Flock, F., & Schwentner, L. (2015). Breast Cancer Patients’ Fear of Treatment: Results from the Multicenter Longitudinal Study BRENDA II. Breast Care, 10(2), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1159/000381933
Xu, L., Sanders, L., Li, K., &Chow, J. C. L. (2021). Chatbot for Health Care and Oncology Applications Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Systematic Review. JMIR Cancer, 7(4), e27850. https://doi.org/10.2196/27850
- Published
- 2026-06-02
- Data Availability Statement
-
The data that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
- Section
- Case Report
- Categories
- License
-
Copyright (c) 2026 Meriem Lameri, Yosr Trabelsi, Tarek Kamergi, Leila Achour, Linda Bouallegue, Chema Drira, Ikram Fazaa

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Similar Articles
- Noha Salman, Rabah Haeab, Hawraa R. Salih, Clinicopathological Predictors of High Mitotic Rate in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A Cross-Sectional Study in Iraq , Middle Eastern Cancer and Oncology Journal: Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026): April - June (In Press)
- Rasha Hassan, Alaa Fadhil Alwan, Comparative Outcomes of Salvage Therapy in Relapsed and Refractory Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas in Iraq , Middle Eastern Cancer and Oncology Journal: Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026): April - June (In Press)
- Bestoon S Hasan, Hardee J Sabir, Bone Marrow Transplantation in a Young Adult with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Case Report , Middle Eastern Cancer and Oncology Journal: Vol. 1 No. 4 (2025): October - December
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Ikram Fazaa, Leila Achour, Yosr Trabelsi, Hajer Felfel, Freddy Mounsef, Chema Drira, Cancer Chemoprevention: An Exploration of the Efficacy and Potential of Various Materials (Synthetic and Natural) , Middle Eastern Cancer and Oncology Journal: Vol. 1 No. 2 (2025): April - June
- Chema Drira, Ikram Fazaa, Leila Achour, Yosr Trabelsi, Mounsef Freddy, Cherif Dorra, The Role of Medicinal Herbs and Phytochemicals in Cancer Management: A Review , Middle Eastern Cancer and Oncology Journal: Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026): January - March
