Douglas Flora, MD, LSSBB, FACCC’s Post

One more to read over this morning’s coffee. I’m truly grateful for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and its leadership for their hard work in navigating the future of AI in oncology. As a 20-year member of ASCO, I love seeing our professional society taking proactive steps to address the complexities and opportunities that AI presents in cancer care. Kudos, Clifford Hudis, Julie Gralow, Christopher Merlan, Debra Patt, MD PhD MBA, Jeremy Warner, Caroline Chung for your strong leadership in these crazy times! Recently, ASCO released the “Principles for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Oncology.” These principles are designed to help the oncology community safely and effectively leverage AI for the benefit of patients and clinicians worldwide. Here are the six guiding principles that will shape ASCO’s approach: 1. Transparency: AI tools and applications must be transparent throughout their lifecycle. 2. Informed Stakeholders: Both patients and clinicians should be aware when AI is utilized in clinical decision-making and patient care. 3. Equity and Fairness: It’s crucial to protect against bias in AI model design and use, ensuring equitable access to AI tools. 4. Accountability: AI systems must comply with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards, with developers taking responsibility for their AI systems and their decisions. 5. Oversight and Privacy: Institutional compliance policies must govern AI use, protecting clinician and patient autonomy and personal health information privacy. 6. Human-Centered Application: AI should complement, not replace, human interaction in healthcare, preserving the essential human touch in patient care. As we step into this new era of AI-supported cancer care and research, I’m genuinely excited about the potential benefits for our patients and the healthcare system as a whole. ASCO’s commitment to thoughtful deployment and monitoring of AI ensures that we can make the most of this technology ethically and effectively. I’d love to hear your thoughts on AI in oncology. How do you see it changing our field? Let’s get a conversation going! 👇 #AI #Oncology #CancerCare #HealthcareInnovation #ASCO #MedicalEthics #FutureOfMedicine AI in Precision Oncology Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. TensorBlack

We are on the brink of a new era: Artificial Intelligence is set to transform how we diagnose diseases. 🚀 This morning’s Los Angeles Times has a great Op-Ed for anyone who still needs convincing about the promise of these AI tools in Healthcare (including Oncology, where earlier and more accurate diagnoses is mission-critical.) My summary, for the TLDR crowd scrolling rapidly on this platform: It’s fascinating to look back at the history of medical diagnosis. From ancient Egyptian physicians identifying urinary tract infections through urine patterns to medieval doctors using pulse and percussion to diagnose heart and lung diseases, we’ve come a long way. AI addresses two major challenges in medical diagnostics: 1. Minimizes Human Error: Unlike us, AI doesn’t get tired or overwhelmed. It can analyze massive amounts of healthcare data quickly, spotting details even the most trained eyes might miss. For instance, AI can diagnose ischemic strokes in seconds—far quicker than a busy radiologist. 2. Detects Subtle Patterns: AI leads to earlier and more accurate diagnoses. Take hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart condition. Researchers at Mayo Clinic and UC San Francisco have shown that AI can use routine EKGs to screen for this condition, often missed in specialized consultations. Here’s the rub, and why I am trying intentionally to build responsible partnerships between academics, industry and government leaders: integrating AI into healthcare is costly. Developing and training AI requires vast data and significant investment. Unlike therapeutic research, diagnostic research hasn’t received as much funding. We need federal support to change this, similar to the initiatives seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, folks like Nicole Tapay and the Association of Cancer Care Centers, Lisa A. Lacasse and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), Deborah Kamin and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) advocacy teams are representing providers and systems well here. AI isn’t here to replace human expertise but to complement it. With thoughtful strategic investment and implementation, AI can improve diagnoses, save more lives, and potentially save billions of dollars. What are your thoughts on AI in healthcare? Share in the comments below! 👇 #AI #HealthcareInnovation #MedicalDiagnosis #Technology #FutureOfMedicine #LATimes

Thank you, Daniel Flora MD, PharmD. More oncologists are realizing this, every day!