Development of "online Cancer Patient Assistance Pathway" (OCPAP) Technology Platform to Provide Treatment Guidance for Cancer Patients in Developing Countries.

11 Background: As per global oncology workforce data published by ASCO in 2018 the new patients per oncologist ratio ranges between 700 to 10,000 in developing countries compared to 70-200 in developed ones. This gross deficit of oncologists adversely affects quality of care resulting in poor outcomes for patients. The onco.com OCPAP technology platform is designed to help patients get free standardised treatment recommendations as per standard protocols. Methods: We identified four basic input points with objective responses that could be entered by the patients/caregivers - cancer type (organ affected), treatment done so far (none, surgery, chemo, radiation), stage of disease and performance status (active, weak and bedridden). Proprietary knowledge database was created by our oncologists as per standard guidelines based on which the platform provides output in terms of specialist to be consulted (medical, radiation, surgical oncologist), recommended treatment (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, palliation or supportive care), and diagnostic information required. Technically, OCPAP uses an online interface to capture the input from the user regarding the condition of the patient. The user interface then sends the input to our REST API based application running on a server. The server application runs our proprietary recommendation algorithm that is optimised to search our database containing proprietary knowledge graph created by our oncologists. Once a match is found, our algorithm provides the most relevant information that matches the patient’s condition. This information is then provided to the user through the same interface in simple language to help them make right treatment decisions in consultation with their treating doctor. Results: OCPAP platform has benefited 18,000 patients from 14 countries and has helped them better understand their treatment options. Majority of users are from developing countries in Indian subcontinent, Africa and Middle East. Conclusions: The OCPAP platform can help millions of cancer patients with limited access to qualified oncologists get better understanding of their treatment options.