Health Information Technologies for Cancer Care: Characterizing Developments for Precision and Personalized Medicine

The point-of-care processes of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and patient recovery require an integration of a variety of data and medical information to ensure optimal management. To better design and utilize these technologies, it is critical to understand the landscape of existing modalities and how they influence the care of cancer patients. Here, we review recent advances in the development and implementation of provider-oriented systems for oncologic care. We propose that these developments may be effectively characterized based on where they are situated in the timeline of cancer care; that is, technologies for cancer detection and diagnosis, intervention and surgery, and longitudinal patient therapy/management. The utility and impact of this class of informatics technologies is highlighted through a comprehensive case analysis of Figure1, a mobile application tailored to improve the continuing clinical education among providers. The advances and advantages showcased by Figure1 demonstrate the potential for provider-centered HIT to facilitate open clinical collaboration, collective growth of medical human capital, and ultimately more effective, personalized cancer care.