Patients with cancer in low- and middle-income countries often face fragmented follow-up, delayed symptom detection, and limited access to supportive care, contributing to unreported treatment-related symptoms and gaps in care quality.

The AI-supported HelpCan91 platform is a hybrid supportive care and patient navigation tool designed to improve patient-clinician communication in multilingual, low-bandwidth settings and small oncology clinics. A pilot study, accepted as an abstract at the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)/International Society for Oral Oncology (ISOO) Annual Meeting and led by Inasse Fadil, an MD candidate at the International University of Rabat, Morocco, is evaluating its feasibility and acceptability before digital deployment.

Based on the preliminary findings, the investigators wrote, “HelpCan91 bridges patient self-reporting with timely clinical action, combining symptom monitoring, triage, and personalized guidance.”

Study Details

The investigators are conducting a 4-week pilot study at Clinique d'Oncologie 16 Novembre in Rabat, Morocco, among 30 patients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy; the abstract reported that 15 patients had been enrolled.

The HelpCan91 platform integrates an AI-personalized symptom monitoring guide with adverse effect prediction and tailored nutrition and lifestyle recommendations, a Nutrition Hub with evidence-based dietary guidance, and a Resource Library linked to the MASCC AI tool.

Patients complete weekly electronic diaries incorporating the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI), Distress Thermometer, treatment-specific adverse effect assessments, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General (FACT-G). Severe symptoms (scores ≥ 7 on a 10-point scale) trigger clinician alerts as part of a simulated automated triage workflow. Investigators record clinician responses, patient adherence, and platform usability. A multidisciplinary Clinical Oversight Board oversees medical accuracy, patient safety, and ethical conduct throughout the study.

The primary endpoints include patient adherence (defined as completion of ≥ 70% of weekly diaries), early detection of toxicities, clinician response rate, and interdisciplinary communication. Secondary endpoints include symptom burden, distress, and the perceived value of the platform’s nutrition and education components.

Preliminary Findings

Early data suggest high levels of patient engagement, consistent diary completion, effective integration of clinical alerts, and strong interest in the nutrition and education components.

Investigators anticipate achieving at least 70% diary adherence, rapid clinician responses and interdisciplinary collaboration, acceptability scores of at least 4 out of 5, and early identification of toxicity and patient frailty.

“[HelpCan91’s] low-cost, adaptable, hybrid model shows feasibility and scalability in real-world oncology settings, supporting future digital deployment to enhance early toxicity detection, timely interventions, patient safety, and quality of life,” the investigators concluded.

DISCLOSURES: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit eventsforce.net/mascc.

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