Nikhil Thaker, Medical Director of Oncology Research at Capital Health (US), shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Publication Alert: Context > Prompts in Oncology AI
Proud to share that our commentary, “From Prompt Engineering to Context Engineering: Why Precision Oncology Needs Context”, has been published in AI in Precision Oncology.
In our piece, the brilliant and dynamic Dr. Sanjay Juneja and I propose a shift: from designing better queries (prompt engineering) to building systems that understand why clinicians choose the way they do (context engineering).
While AI systems are getting better at summarizing guidelines, we argue that real impact in oncology comes not from better prompts—but from better context.
In oncology, the same patient may have multiple evidence-based treatment paths. What makes one option better than another? It’s not just the data—it’s the context:
- Academic vs community setting
- Clinical trials access
- Patient comorbidities and preferences
- Institutional philosophy
Key takeaways:
- AI that only regurgitates guidelines risks standardizing care at the expense of personalization.
- Oncology AI must reflect real-world nuance—local practice patterns, resource constraints, and clinician judgment.
- Context-aware systems could transform LLMs from generic copilots into true clinical partners.
Special thanks to Douglas Flora for inviting us to share our thoughts and for building an incredible platform to share ideas that will hopefully improve the way we deliver care.”
Douglas Flora, Executive Medical Director of Yung Family Cancer Center at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, President-Elect of the Association of Cancer Care Centers, and Editor in Chief of AI in Precision Oncology, shared a post by Nikhil Thaker, adding:
“Important read in this issue of AI in Precision Oncology. Thanks to Nikhil Thaker and Sanjay Juneja for leading an important discusssion.”
Title: From Prompt Engineering to Context Engineering: Why Precision Oncology Needs Context
Authors: Nikhil Thaker, Sanjay Juneja
Nikhil Thaker, Sanjay Juneja
Read the Full Article.
More posts featuring Nikhil Thaker.