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Cited by 24Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and EducationArtificial Intelligence in HealthcareAI in cancer detection

Exploring the role of ChatGPT in oncology: providing information and support for cancer patients

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Cè, Maurizio, Chiarpenello, Vittoria, Bubba, Alessandra, Felisaz, Paolo Florent, Oliva, Giancarlo, Irmici, Giovanni, Cellina, Michaela·2024·BioMedInformatics
DOI 10.3390/biomedinformatics4020049
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Abstract

Introduction: Oncological patients face numerous challenges throughout their cancer journey while navigating complex medical information. The advent of AI-based conversational models like ChatGPT (San Francisco, OpenAI) represents an innovation in oncological patient management. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on the use of ChatGPT in providing tailored information and support to patients with various types of cancer, including head and neck, liver, prostate, breast, lung, pancreas, colon, and cervical cancer. Results and Discussion: Our findings indicate that, in most instances, ChatGPT responses were accurate, dependable, and aligned with the expertise of oncology professionals, especially for certain subtypes of cancers like head and neck and prostate cancers. Furthermore, the system demonstrated a remarkable ability to comprehend patients’ emotional responses and offer proactive solutions and advice. Nevertheless, these models have also showed notable limitations and cannot serve as a substitute for the role of a physician under any circumstances. Conclusions: Conversational models like ChatGPT can significantly enhance the overall well-being and empowerment of oncological patients. Both patients and healthcare providers must become well-versed in the advantages and limitations of these emerging technologies.

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  • AI technologies provide timely, accurate, and accessible information that can empower patients and caregivers, supporting engagement, comprehension, and autonomy throughout the cancer care continuum.

    “These technologies provide timely, accurate, and accessible information that can empower patients and caregivers, supporting engagement, comprehension, and autonomy throughout the cancer care continuum [6-8].”

    From Empathic AI for Patient-Centered Cancer Care: A Scoping Review of Patient Navigation, Support, and Clinical Practice (2026) · cites this paper as [6]

    Sections 3.1.2 and 3.1.3 describe ChatGPT as making information easier and faster to obtain and understand, including for patients and caregivers, with potential to improve participation and shared decision-making. The Conclusions say it can offer accurate, accessible support throughout patients’ cancer journey, but also warn that its information can be inaccurate or unreliable. The claim overstates accuracy as an unqualified property of AI technologies generally. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Cè, M., Chiarpenello, V., Bubba, A., Felisaz, P. F., Oliva, G., Irmici, G., & Cellina, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Milan (IT)
  • ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco (IT)
  • Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori (IT)
ORCID
Venue
BioMedInformatics
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2024-03-25
Volume
4
Issue
2
Pages
877-888
ISSN
2673-7426 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/biomedinformatics4020049
OpenAlex
W4393160742
Cited by
24
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 4
FWCI
2.27
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BioMedInformatics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Health Informatics › Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › AI in cancer detection
Keywords
ChatGPT, large language models, cancer patients, patient information, patient support, conversational AI, head and neck cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, emotional support, patient empowerment, AI limitations

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