By Josh Silvertown, PhD, MBA, MSM
A breast cancer diagnosis can bring an overwhelming amount of information in a short time. Patients and caregivers must learn new terms, compare treatments, monitor side effects, prepare for appointments, navigate access programs, and make decisions while coping with fear, fatigue, and daily life.
For many people, the result is information overload. Thoughtfully designed AI-powered educational tools can help by organizing questions, translating complex information into plain language, and supporting more confident conversations with healthcare professionals (HCPs). They should complement, not replace, oncologists, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and patient support organizations.
For the Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) community, this distinction matters. CBCN is a patient-directed breast cancer health charity focused on information sharing, education, and advocacy for people in Canada affected by breast cancer. AI should strengthen that patient-centred support, not weaken it.
Patients and Caregivers are Already Looking for Answers
Cancer care is complex, and appointments can feel too short for everything patients and families need to ask. A person may leave the clinic with a treatment plan, new medication names, possible side effects, and next steps, then later wonder: What does this mean? Is this expected? What should I ask next? How do I explain this to my family?
AI-powered educational tools can help turn these moments into manageable steps. They can explain terminology, prepare appointment questions, summarize trusted resources, and help caregivers understand what their loved one may be experiencing. The most important word is support. AI should not diagnose, choose treatments, interpret symptoms in isolation, or replace medical advice. In cancer care, context matters: cancer type and stage, biomarkers, previous treatments, medications, other health conditions, personal goals, and access considerations can all change what information is relevant.
What the Latest Research Tells Us
At the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, several presentations explored AI in oncology, including the Clinical Science Symposium, "Oncology 2.0: How Artificial Intelligence Is Closing the Information Gap-Or Is It?" The session addressed both the promise and the risks of AI as patients increasingly use these tools to understand diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis.
Dr. Pearl Subramanian presented research showing that publicly available webpages and videos about AI and cancer care were often hard to understand and frequently missed key safety issues. Only 33% of webpages and 23% of videos reviewed were considered high quality, and only 15% of webpages mentioned AI hallucinations or misinformation (Subramanian et al., "Gaps in patient-facing information on artificial intelligence in cancer care: A cross-sectional analysis," ASCO 2026, Abstract 9000).
Another study surveyed 400 cancer patients and caregivers and found that 75% were aware of AI chatbots, but only 24% had used them for cancer-related information. Notably, 69.1% of users had not told their physician they were using AI, while 73.3% said they would be willing to use a physician-verified AI tool (Ismayilov et al., "The use of generative AI tools by cancer patients and caregivers: A cross-sectional survey of awareness, attitudes, and experiences," J Clin Oncol 44, 2026 suppl 16; abstr 1612).
Trust in oncology remains deeply human. In a survey of 75 adult cancer patients, 97.3% said they would trust their oncologist most for a serious question about their cancer's future, while no respondents selected ChatGPT/AI as their most trusted source (Huang et al., "Patient trust in oncologists versus artificial intelligence for cancer-related questions," J Clin Oncol 44, 2026 suppl 16; abstr 11105).
These findings suggest that patients and caregivers are interested in AI, many are already using it, and they need tools that are accurate, understandable, transparent, and connected to HCP expertise. Healthcare teams also need to be ready for these conversations: Dr. Evan Garrad presented a study showing that 74% of responding hematology/oncology fellows reported using AI tools, but only 8% had received AI education (Garrad et al., "Artificial intelligence (AI) in hematology and oncology fellowship (HOF) training: A multicenter survey of education, attitudes, and clinical use," ASCO 2026, Abstract 9001).
How AI Can Support Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy does not mean becoming your own doctor. It means being able to ask informed questions, share what matters to you, understand your options, and participate in decisions about your care.
An AI-powered educational tool might help a patient ask: What are the goals of this treatment? What side effects should I report right away? Are there biomarker or genomic tests I should ask about? How might this treatment affect my daily life? What support services are available for fatigue, anxiety, finances, transportation, or caregiving?
For caregivers, these tools may help explain unfamiliar terminology, organize notes after appointments, and clarify what to ask when supporting someone through treatment. Used well, AI can serve as a bridge between information and action: helping people slow down, make sense of what they have heard, and identify what should be confirmed with their care team.
Why Human Guidance Remains Essential
ASCO research also highlights the risk of "silent" AI use, where patients or caregivers consult AI tools but do not tell their healthcare team. That silence matters. An AI tool may produce confident-sounding information that is incomplete, outdated, too general, or wrong. It may not understand the patient's full diagnosis, treatment history, medications, allergies, test results, or personal goals.
The safest approach is not to shame patients for using AI, but to make AI use discussable. Patients should feel comfortable saying, "I asked an AI tool about this. Can we review what it told me?" HCPs can then help sort what is accurate, what is incomplete, and what does not apply to that person's situation.
Trusted patient support organizations are also essential. CBCN and organizations like Navexio can provide credible education, advocacy, navigation support, and community connection. AI may help people process information, but patients and caregivers still need human reassurance, clinical judgment, lived-experience support, and compassionate guidance.
Luna Navigator: An AI-powered Guide for Cancer Education and Preparation
Navexio created Luna Navigator in response to what we have observed while working directly with patients and families: people are not lacking information; they are often surrounded by too much of it, without a clear way to understand what applies to them or what questions to bring back to their care team.
Luna Navigator is an AI-powered educational navigation tool designed to help cancer patients and caregivers make sense of complex cancer information. Luna uses AI to translate medical language into plain language, organize concerns, prepare appointment questions, and identify topics that should be discussed with an oncology team. In other words, AI is the engine that helps Luna turn information overload into clearer, more structured preparation for human conversations.
Luna Navigator is not designed to diagnose, recommend treatment, or replace clinical judgment. Its role is to support education, preparation, and self-advocacy. It is a bridge between information and care: a way to help patients and caregivers arrive at appointments better prepared to ask, understand, and participate.
This approach aligns with ASCO's six guiding principles for responsible AI in oncology: transparency, informed stakeholders, equity and fairness, accountability, oversight and privacy, and human-centred application. It also aligns with the AI Cancer Patient Advocacy Group's goal of ensuring AI in oncology is developed with equality, integrity, empathy, and a patient-centred focus.
A Practical Way to Think About AI During Cancer Care
For patients and caregivers considering AI-powered educational tools, a helpful rule is: use AI to prepare, not to decide. Use it to prepare questions, understand terms, organize what you have heard, identify what needs clarification, and support conversations with your care team.
Do not use AI as the final word on diagnosis, treatment, symptoms, prognosis, medication changes, or urgent medical concerns. Those questions belong with your oncology team. It is also important to be careful with privacy. Before entering personal health information into any digital tool, patients should understand how their information may be used, stored, or protected. When in doubt, avoid identifiable details and ask general educational questions instead.
The Opportunity Ahead
AI is already becoming part of the cancer information landscape. The question is not whether patients and caregivers will use it; many already are. The question is whether they will have access to tools that are safe, understandable, transparent, and grounded in the realities of cancer care.
Done well, AI-powered education can reduce information overload, support better questions, help caregivers participate more actively, and help people feel less alone between appointments. But the centre of cancer care must remain human. At Navexio, we believe technology should make trusted support easier to access, not harder to find.
Dr. Josh Silvertown is the Founder, CEO and Chief Oncology Navigator of Navexio Inc. - a precision oncology company integrating advanced diagnostics, expert cancer navigation, and AI-powered support.
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