Project 457570

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is a rare genetic condition that increases an individual's risk of developing cancer. By age 20, patients with LFS have a 40% of developing cancer and >90% chance by age 70. Patients with LFS are screened for early tumor detection, from the time they are diagnosed and throughout their lives. Screening is intensive and cancer risks still remain extremely high, especially at young ages. Families with LFS experience a high degree of uncertainty, anxiety, and stress due to their cancer risk as well as the lifelong cancer screening itself. Studies have shown that these sources of stress can increase the risk of suicide-related thoughts in children with LFS and their families. Chronic stress has also been linked to a number of diseases, and it may also contribute to cancer development. Given the high stress levels in these families and the possible associations of stress with disease, we aim to identify better ways of monitoring stress in families with LFS. Here, we propose a pilot study to assess the feasibility of using digital tools such as smartphones and smart watches in monitoring stress in families with LFS. We aim to: 1) assess the feasibility of using digital health technologies in children and their families, 2) identify participant variability in measures of stress, and 3) determine how digital measures of stress correlate to adverse signs of stress (mood, sleep, and cognition). Our work will inform a larger study to use digital health tools in detecting stress in children and families with LFS. This can lay the groundwork for identifying stress, and whether we can forecast cancer incidence or relapse at much earlier periods than is currently possible.