A hospital in England will be the first to use an AI software, called Trial Navigator, to match cancer patients with potential clinical trials.
The process works by using the NHS’s Cancer Alliance and Inspirita trust database to identify studies that might suit the needs of specific patients. The software provides medical teams with the ability to search through medical reports, file notes, and even referral letters to identify a patient’s history and needs. If an ongoing trial is thought to be a good match for someone’s case, the patient can be brought in for clinical evaluation in order to determine whether the trial is a safe and potentially effective choice for them.
The clinical director of the NHS Cancer Alliance and Inspirita trust points to a lack of information as one of the primary barriers to cancer study enrollment. This solution might offer cancer patients more personalized treatment options and may save them time and resources they might have spent searching for a suitable clinical trial.
The launch of Trial Navigator aims to bolster cancer services that were detrimentally impacted during the pandemic. The program is able to quickly cross-reference patients’ medical needs with eligibility criteria in ongoing studies, meaning potential treatment options can be identified and accessed sooner.
This is of particular interest to the NHS, given the long wait times faced by many patients due to the pandemic-induced hospital overcrowding and understaffing issues.
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For Citruslabs, patient recruitment starts with study design and ends with trial completion. We recruit patients through our network of health apps, which enables you to connect with thousands of patients in real-time. The best part: these patients are already educated and prepared for the clinical trial process.