Andreas Charalambous, Chair of the Department of Nursing at Cyprus University of Technology and MASCC Executive Board Member, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Digital Innovation in financial toxicity: a knife that cuts both ways!
As part of the ESMO25 EONS18 we held a joint session together with EONS where we discussed the ways that digital innovation can be the cause of financial toxicity. There is a rapid infiltration of technologies in oncology such as:
• Al for diagnostics and prognosis – Al algorithms analyze imaging (e.g., CT, MRI, mammograms) to detect tumors with high accuracy
• Genomic profiling and precision oncology – ML models can identify cancerous cells in histopathology slides, helping pathologists make faster and more accurate diagnoses – ML to integrate genomic, proteomic, and clinical data to personalize cancer therapy
• Digital pathology – Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) allows digitization of pathology slides for remote analysis and Al-assisted diagnostics.
• Wearable biosensors and remote patient monitoring – tele-oncology (e.g. teleconsultation)
• Digital Twin Technology
New technologies may exacerbate financial toxicity by replacing less costly alternatives (yet equally effective), promoting unrealistic expectations, and expanding treatment to those who would have previously gone untreated
Digital innovation can create financial toxicity by leading to increased out-of-pocket costs for novel, unproven, or un-insured Al-driven treatments, creating a digital divide where access to beneficial tools is unequal, and exacerbating financial burden for patients who already have financial toxicity.
How to address the problem includes strategies such as:
Value-based technology assessment
• Health technology assessment (HTA) integration into clinical practice
• Insurance reform to update digital reimbursement structures
• Equitable innovation models that include cost-impact analysis
• Routinely screen patients for financial toxicity and apply Al models that can timely predict financial toxicity
Thank you European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) for hosting this joint session.”
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