Clinical trials, especially for patients with rare diseases like neuroendocrine tumor (NET) cancer, play a critical role in expanding access to innovative treatments beyond limited standard-of-care options. Medicines that have not yet been approved by Health Authorities such as the US FDA are tested in clinical trials.
But it can be difficult for patients to learn about clinical trials. Patients may not be familiar with what clinical trials are, may not know which clinical trials are being conducted locally, may not be able to discern which clinical trials they qualify for, or may be hesitant to ask their healthcare provider about them.
Ancora.ai, a health technology company, in collaboration with NorCal CarciNET, a patient advocacy group for patients with NET cancer, have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) based online tool to help patients with NET cancer find personalized clinical trials.
Patients with neuroendocrine tumor (NET) cancer can now find personalized clinical trials using a new artificial intelligence (AI) based online tool.
Simplifying the Process
The tool guides patients through a simple online questionnaire to identify clinical trials that may be a match. The questions include where the patient is located; the origin, grade, and stage of the cancer; whether the cancer has been treated with somatostatin analogs, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), targeted therapies, or chemotherapy; and general demographics.
Based on the answers, a results page appears, listing clinical trials with local study sites that the patient may want to consider. The results can be exported and shared with a healthcare provider for further discussion. The questionnaire answers can also be saved to receive notifications of new trials or trials with updated criteria that may now be a match.
According to Ancora.ai, the questionnaire was developed in collaboration with a global panel of oncologists, scientific researchers, and patients. They identified the core patient characteristics required for efficient trial matching, validated an analysis of eligibility criteria across NET cancer trials, and contributed real-world medical experience (ref). The panel’s feedback informed the tool’s design and subsequent patient testing confirmed its usability.
Limitations
The Ancora.ai website includes some educational information about clinical trials, but patients need to have a basic understanding in order to find the site and take the questionnaire. The tool is a great resource for patients who are savvy about clinical trials, independently seek information about experimental treatments, and are open to participating in clinical trials. But for patients who may not be as knowledgeable or are hesitant about considering clinical trials, an introduction to the tool by healthcare providers and patient advocacy organizations may be helpful. Also, because the tool relies on answers to prespecified questions, the results may only be as good as the inputs provided by the patients.
References
To check out the tool, visit Ancora.ai for NET cancer.
NorCal CarciNET is a great resource for patients.
For clinical trials information, here’s a comprehensive resource from the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation about clinical trials, which includes a list of questions to ask your healthcare provider if you are considering participating in a clinical trial.
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