ONCORx: A Digital App for Cancer Treatment Planning

Treatment for breast cancer patients usually comprises multiple modalities (e.g., surgery, chemotherapy, etc.). Treatments are used at varying frequencies and durations, in combination or sequence, and over an extended period. At an initial consultation, patients are presented with new and unfamiliar information on diagnosis and prognosis. Communicating an adaptive neoadjuvant, adjuvant, or palliative treatment plan in this environment, together with potential options, is challenging for oncologists and often overwhelming for patients. Patients’ lack of understanding of the proposed treatment can compromise informed choice, consent, and compliance. To simplify the process, ONCORx has been developed. The MIRO web interface was used to develop the flowcharts for web tool design. Flowcharts were based on local treatment protocols/NICE guidelines. A web application was developed in Flutter-based technology. Dart language-based programming was conducted to develop the logical framework based on the MIRO decision tree followed by web application development with the option of two user logins: one for user and another for an administrator. ONCORx App allows oncologists to select relevant treatments according to the patient’s breast cancer phenotype and display a simple illustration/flowchart of their proposed treatment plan along with a treatment sequence timeline. The final output offers editing options in both Word and PDF format. Considering rapid innovation in oncology, especially with an increase in the number of treatment lines, this user-friendly app will help oncologists communicate treatment plans to patients with a timeline to avoid patients missing appointments and make things simple for patients to understand.