Technology is introduced into medical science by the innovative tool CureCancer, which aims to improve the quality of services provided by the medical community to patients, mainly at the operational level. The tool in question, developed by the eponymous start-up, is a patient-centric digital tool (electronic platform) that specializes in oncology patients. As the creator of the innovative start-up, Dimitra Galiti, a doctoral candidate at the Medical School of the University of Athens in the field of oncology patients, explains, "the digitization of the medical history and the treatments and medications that the patient with cancer receives is a "medical necessity" and contributes to their immediate and appropriate medical support and care." The original idea She explains that "the idea arose from the difficulties in the daily care of our patients.
Patients did not know what medications they were taking or what treatment they had received, so that we could help them more effectively. Thus, the strong need for the digitization of the patient's medical file was identified, to facilitate both the patient himself, the oncologist and the other health professionals who follow him". At the same time, Ms. Galiti adds that "we took care to design the digital booklet in a way that it is easy to use, taking into account the psychology of the patient we are examining. At CureCancer, patients record and update their medical history, post their laboratory tests and note and monitor their symptoms. They can communicate this history and information with their doctor, making it easier for him to help them in a timely manner, providing the most appropriate care". Clinical and social benefits The clinical benefits resulting from the use of the tool in question are analyzed by the scientific manager of the project, Ourania Nikolatou, professor at the School of Dentistry of the University of Athens with specialization in oral oncology. “CureCancer can facilitate the investigation of the effectiveness or toxicity of new drugs, through the records of the patients themselves,” she says, adding that “the improvement of operational services is directly related to better medical care, increased treatment success, reduction of toxicity from anticancer treatments, increased survival and maintenance of the patient’s quality of life within the family and in the social and work environment.”
Ms. Nikolatou explains that “at the same time, the economic toxicity, i.e. the cost of cancer treatment, but also the enormous cost of supportive care after treatment, is reduced”. As she adds, “our recent study showed a significant benefit in quality of life and increased survival of patients who recorded adverse events themselves via an online tool electronically. “If it were a drug, the price would be $100,000”, was the title of Medscape’s (https://www.medscape.com/) informative e-mail to the oncology community”. Development plans The innovation of this start-up was recognized not only by the international organization Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer-MASCC (www.mascc.org), which is active in the supportive care of cancer patients and evaluated CureCancer, but also by the domestic business and scientific community, since today CureCancer is hosted in the incubator for the development of innovative start-ups of the Hellenic Cancer Association, while at the same time it is in the initial stage of piloting the tool in the oncology community through cooperation with the Hellenic Oncology Society (HOS). The start-up is examining ways of networking with other scientific bodies through European research funding projects, while the creation of a mutual support community for oncology patients in everyday matters is another immediate goal of CureCancer, with the creator of the platform stating that "the exchange of advice through personal experiences is invaluable". [SID:13001342]
