Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized industries, from finance and logistics to advertising and agriculture. It has offered new efficiencies, insights and capabilities that were seemingly unimaginable just a few decades ago. Healthcare is no exception. In oncology, especially, where the volume of emerging research and the complexity of personalized treatments are accelerating, intelligent tools have become integral.
Oncoscope-AI, an advanced oncology intelligence platform, was created to respond to this need. The catalyst behind the founding of the company was a profound question: How can AI help doctors keep up with and apply the flood of cancer breakthroughs to improve real-world patient care? The company has made answering that question its mission.
Refining the approach to cancer treatment
Anna Forsythe, founder of Oncoscope-AI, believes the cancer landscape today is vastly different from what it was 10 years ago. This is particularly evident in breast and lung cancer, two of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide.
“Before, a diagnosis of breast cancer meant a standard treatment regimen for nearly all patients. Individual biological differences didn’t matter. But our understanding has evolved,” Forsythe explains. Indeed, what was called “breast cancer” is now understood as multiple subtypes. Each has its own biological behavior, prognosis and treatment response.
Similarly, lung cancer has splintered into a web of genetically and immunologically distinct conditions. The era of the one-size-fits-all approach, dominated by blanket chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, is fading. A more refined model of cancer treatment has emerged in its place.
Forsythe states that today’s oncology is driven by two approaches. One is immunotherapy, which amplifies the body’s immune response to fight the disease from within. The other is targeted therapy, which focuses on specific biomarkers or genetic mutations within the tumor itself. They’re usually used in tandem with the goal of turning terminal-stage cancers into manageable, chronic conditions.
Consider the arrival of CDK4/6 inhibitors palbociclib, ribociclib and abemaciclib and how they changed the landscape for breast cancer treatment. According to research based on trials, CDK4/6 inhibitors are considered revolutionary in breast cancer treatment and have played a key role in slowing progression. Progression-free survival, or how long a patient can live without the cancer worsening, has become the new benchmark of success.
New challenges for physicians
This progress introduces a new kind of pressure, however. “With every new biomarker discovered, every new targeted therapy or immunotherapy approved, the challenge for physicians multiplies,” Forsythe states. “How can any oncologist stay up to date with thousands of new studies, frequent regulatory updates and a deluge of clinical data?”
At a single oncology conference, countless new abstracts may be released in just one cancer type. The expectation is that doctors will somehow process all of this while continuing to see patients, manage treatments and fulfill legal requirements for ongoing medical education. In theory, continuous medical education (CME) should help doctors stay current. In practice, it’s difficult for health professionals to retain all the information.
Enter Oncoscope-AI
Oncoscope-AI has emerged to empower healthcare professionals. Forsythe, a pharmacist, health economist and former pharmaceutical executive, designed it to bridge the divide between cutting-edge research and practical clinical application. The platform scans thousands of oncology publications using proprietary AI, filters them through an evidence-based framework and presents only the most clinically actionable insights. According to Oncoscope-AI, these findings are reviewed and contextualized by a human research team before being published in the system.
The impact of Oncoscope-AI is best felt in patient stories. A friend Forsythe met while traveling was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She had undergone traditional chemotherapy and surgery that left her physically and emotionally drained. “She was then prescribed one of the breakthrough CDK4/6 inhibitors. Her life changed. She regained energy, joy, and time,” Forsythe shares. However, when her cancer began to progress again, her oncologist defaulted to standard chemotherapy, believing there were no more options.
There were. However, the doctor didn’t know. Forsythe sent her friend research summaries and articles through Oncoscope-AI, which she later shared with her doctor. She was then prescribed a new-generation therapy. “She’s thriving now,” says Forsythe. “She just returned from a trip to France and is booking another.”
Aiming to help health professionals and patients thrive
This story raises a question. How many more patients are out there who could live longer, better lives if only their doctors had access to the right information at the right time? “The problem is not the doctors. It’s the data overload,” Forsythe emphasizes. “The solution isn’t replacing physicians with AI, but equipping them with AI tools that distill noise into knowledge and confusion into clarity.”
Oncoscope-AI is striving to do just that. It’s working to help oncologists across the globe turn the latest science into tangible outcomes for patients in the exam room, not months later when guidelines catch up.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider.
Photo from Oncoscope-AI
