Pixformance is a partner of the European research project FORTEe
with digital movement therapy getting strong to fight childhood cancer
DIGITAL TRAINING AS AN OPPORTUNITY
Cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents in Europe. The common side effects of cancer treatment in children and adolescents include physical inactivity, cancer-related fatigue and an impaired health-related quality of life. FORTEe will research the experiences of children and adolescents aged between four and 21 years in a Europe-wide interventional clinical trial. The project further aims to investigate the effects of a personalized, standardized and age-appropriate exercise intervention on successful cancer treatment in children and adolescents.
Valerie Bures-Bönström,
CEO of Pixformance Sports GmbH
“As a partner of this great project, we are very proud to be able to support such an important issue as cancer treatment for children and fully endorse the project slogan: Let’s get strong against childhood cancer!”
“As a partner of this great project, we are very proud to be able to support with our digital therapy concept such an important issue as cancer treatment for children and fully endorse the project slogan: Let’s get strong against childhood cancer!”
An important step for childhood cancer research
“For children, it is always more difficult to provide scientific evidence, precisely because the number of cases of children with cancer is very small. On the one hand, this is fortunate, but on the other hand, it is also bad luck for the patients, because it really takes a long time to gain new insights through studies. This happens much faster with adults”, said Dr. med. Marie A. Neu, Coördinator of the Childhood Cancer Center Mainz, FORTEe Scientific Coördinator and Deputy Principal Investigator.
Dr. med. Marie A. Neu, Coördinator of the Childhood Cancer Center Mainz, Scientific Coördinator of FORTEe and Deputy Head of the Study.
„For children, it is increasingly difficult to provide scientific evidence, precisely because the number of cases is very small, with 2,000 new children with cancer in Germany. On the one hand, this is fortunate, but on the other hand, it is also bad luck for those who have the disease, because it really does take a long time to gain new insights through studies. This happens much faster with adults.“
With digital movement therapy to a better quality of life
The FORTEe project therefore aims to research and demonstrate that sport and exercise can also significantly help and support children and adolescents.
“Our hypothesis is that the patients who receive this tailored exercise therapy will derive benefits from it and that, in particular, the cancer-related exhaustion syndrome fatigue will be positively influenced. We want to show that exercise in childhood cancer helps to improve quality of life. Or at least to influence that it does not decrease further.” , Dr. Neu continued.
The exercise program will be supported by digital technologies enhancing the pioneering character of the study for the development of novel care concepts in pediatric and adolescent medicine. With the help of virtual and augmented reality-based devices and a newly developed exercise app, home-based, family-centered telemedical care will be integrated into cancer treatment.
Digitally supported patient care with Pixformance
Training at the Pixformance stations is also part of the EU research project at 5 locations (see turquoise highlighted in the graphic). Work is done with questionnaires and follow-ups before and after the respective interventions. The patients included in the project are aged 4 to 21 years. Whether, when and how often they will train at the Pixformance stations depends on the individual course of their disease and therapy.
Strong together against childhood cancer: Special new exercises for the special patients
As part of the FORTEe project, we worked with a team of pediatricians, pediatric oncologists, sports scientists, and physiotherapists at the Oxford and Mainz sites to develop some new exercises. Thus, in addition to the 350+ exercises from the Pixformance exercise catalog, additional training sequences are available for the children. These have been specially developed for the very special patient group, children with cancer, so they are ideally suited to their needs. The virtual trainer has also been replaced by a playful avatar for these exercises.
In some of the clinics, the Pixformance station has been covered up in the sports room for some time, already arousing a certain curiosity among the young patients. In 2022, the individual sites started the intervention phase. “We are very proud to be part of this important project and are excited about the development”, says Pixformance CEO Valerie Bures-Bönström.
Do you have questions about the project or the digital motion therapy with Pixformance?
Your Contact Person
Tobias Baader | COO