Transforming the Patient-oncologist Relationship

When it comes to the treatment and care of cancer patients, enormous progress has been made in recent years, and patients with all types of malignancies are recovering and surviving at much higher rates than in the past. However, one aspect of cancer care has remained unchanged in most of the world: the fact that patients only see their oncologists every few weeks or months, and during the long intervals between appointments, they are not monitored and are unable to consult with a specialist about symptoms or concerns.

Efficient and personalized care

The digital platform Moovcare® provides a simple yet brilliant solution for the effective, continuous monitoring and care of cancer patients. By filling out a short weekly questionnaire about their health, patients using Moovcare® benefit from a sophisticated web-based algorithm that can detect possible complications at a very early stage. Since the patients' data is continuously reported to their medical teams, and doctors are instantly notified about irregularities, the disease is managed in a more effective manner and oncologists can adjust treatments as required, without having to wait for the next distant appointment.

"My oncologist's reaction time is much faster. I know he gets notified at the slightest sign of symptoms," confirms Mireille, 60, who has lung cancer and uses Moovcare®.

It takes less than ten minutes to complete the weekly questionnaire, which consists of straightforward queries about the patient's wellbeing during the previous week – such as questions related to their appetite and weight, as well as any pain or fever. There is also a section for including free-text comments. The data is transmitted through a secure system to ensure privacy.

The platform's smart algorithm, which is highly sensitive, analyzes each week's questionnaire and compares it to those of previous weeks. Oncologists can access their patients' data on their dashboard at their leisure. This data is very valuable, as it gives the doctor comprehensive information about their patients' condition during the entire period between appointments.

The tool saves time during actual visits as well, since patients don't need to spend most of the session updating their doctor about the state of their health, including any symptoms which they may have experienced – thereby enabling more efficient and personalized use of the specialist's time, and more precise treatment protocols.

"When I talk to my patients about Moovcare®, I tell them that it will improve the follow-up, and they like that a lot! I explain to them that it can help limit the number of CT scans, that it will be in parallel to the classic follow-up, and that it will simplify everything," explains Dr. Xavier Zasadny, an oncologist at Polyclinique in Limoges, France. "I usually open Moovcare® at the beginning of the medical visit, in front of my patient, so we can have a look at it together. It allows me to anticipate the visit and ask more questions than before, since thanks to Moovcare® I am saving time. Moovcare® helps me make the most of each visit."

Mini-revolution

In France, the first market where it was introduced, Moovcare® has spawned a "mini-revolution" thanks to its significant impact on the management of lung cancer patients. More than 1,000 patients treated at 120 French medical centers have already used the tool for periods of up to two years. "We have reinvented the way patients are being treated by personalizing patient follow-up and involving the patients in the process. The platform created a big buzz in the oncology community," attests Ayala Bliah, CEO of Sivan Innovation.

Clinical trials which took place in France in the years 2014-2018 demonstrated that Moovcare® improves the survival rates of lung cancer patients by 26% – a very impressive outcome. These findings were published in leading scientific journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, as well as presented at major international oncological conferences, where they were received with a great deal of excitement.

In France, lung cancer patients who are prescribed Moovcare® by their oncologists are reimbursed by their medical insurance companies. The device is now being introduced in Spain, Italy and other European countries, as well as in North America and Israel. In each market, the company partners with health insurance companies or health funds which subsidize or reimburse the cost. From a purely cost-benefit perspective, this is a win-win arrangement, since studies show that Moovcare® lowers the overall cost of caring for lung cancer patients by as much as 10%, since it promotes efficiency among both doctors and nurses and reduces the number of emergency hospitalizations.

In addition to this rational analysis, Moovcare® also boasts many subjective advantages. Clinical trials demonstrated that both the survival rate and overall quality of life of lung cancer patients increase, and – equally important – that their anxiety level drops significantly. In France, two-thirds of cancer patients who experience concerning symptoms are reluctant to seek advice between appointments and they often refrain from informing their oncologist about new symptoms until the next scheduled visit, which can be months away. Unfortunately, these delays often have tragic consequences for their long-term prognosis.

Prof. Nicolas Girard, a thoracic oncologist from the Curie Institute, France, is one of the many doctors using Moovcare® who report that the tool enables them to provide optimal care. "At a time when lung cancer treatments are increasingly individualized for each patient, it is necessary to personalize the follow-up by adapting to the symptoms and especially to the evolution of the symptoms over time, rather than offering standardized monitoring. Moovcare® responds to this major issue for our patients' care," she points out.

Expanding to more markets

Sivan Innovation was founded in 2014 by Daniel Israel, a French-Israeli pioneer in the digital health industry. He is a serial entrepreneur who has built successful technology companies and brands, and he currently serves as President of Sivan Innovation. The company is headquartered in Raanana, Israel and also has an office in Paris, France which focuses on regulatory and commercial aspects. The R&D is carried out in Israel by an outstanding team of engineers and data scientists.

The company's scientific board is composed of leading experts in the field, including Dr. Ethan Basch of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Dr. Agathe Seguin of the Montsouris Institute, and Dr. Alain Livartowski, of Unicancer, and many others.

Moovcare® complies with the highest standards and most stringent regulations required for medical devices, including those related to ethical and privacy issues. In the EU, Moovcare® received the CE Marking for lung cancer patients, ensuring that it conforms with European health, safety, and environmental protection standards. Since it is a clinical decision support system, the platform is exempt from FDA approval in the US.

As a result of the success of Moovcare® Lung, the next stage is to extend the tool to other cancer indications. Upcoming new modules include Moovcare® Post Op, to monitor patients after surgery, and Moovcare® Tox, a toxicity module that will investigate drug side effects. The goal is to offer patients a complete remote monitoring app throughout the entire cancer journey.

Sivan Innovation is launching the tool in Italy, Spain, the U.S. and a range of other countries and is eager to collaborate with additional insurance companies in as many markets as possible. To this end, the company is seeking to raise additional funds and invites investors to take advantage of this opportunity.

Based on its enthusiastic reception in France among both oncologists and cancer patients, Moovcare® clearly has the potential to substantially help millions of people around the world who are living with cancer to manage their disease more efficiently and effectively.

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partnered with Sivan Innovation