BCRF Award Supports AI Platform to Improve Breast Cancer Survivorship Care

By: Staff Writer | September 01, 2026 | 9 min. read |

A new Breast Cancer Research Foundation award is helping Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers develop an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to identify unmet supportive care needs, deliver personalized guidance and improve quality of life for breast cancer survivors between clinic visits.

Abstract digital illustration in cool blue tones representing AI-driven cancer research. At center, a semi-transparent human outline is overlaid with a glowing tumor-like focal point in the chest, connected to a DNA strand. Surrounding elements include a stylized brain-shaped circuit diagram, cellular tumor structures, and simplified data charts, all set against a soft grid of binary code and blurred data points, conveying big data analysis and biomedical research in a clean, subdued composition.

More people are surviving breast cancer than ever before, but many continue to face physical, emotional and practical challenges long after treatment ends. Studies have found that up to 80% of breast cancer survivors report at least one unmet supportive care need after treatment, underscoring the growing demand for personalized survivorship services tailored to the unique needs of each patient.

A new award from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) will help researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, develop an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to transform how supportive care is delivered to breast cancer survivors between clinic visits. The research is co-funded by the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, whose philanthropic support helps advance innovative cancer research and survivorship initiatives at Sylvester.

Frank J. Penedo, Ph.D., director of Sylvester’s Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute and associate director for cancer survivorship and translational behavioral sciences, leads the project. The project will advance My Wellness Support, a digital platform that combines artificial intelligence, patient-reported outcomes and clinical data to provide tailored support for breast cancer survivors.

Dr. Frank Penedo, smiling, in dark suit, white shirt and orange tie — Dr. Frank Penedo is studying ways to effectively use AI to support cancer patients.

“As the number of cancer survivors continues to grow, many patients struggle with unmet supportive care needs after treatment, yet available support services remain limited in reach due to access and capacity of programs available,” said Dr. Penedo. “Our vision is to leverage advances in artificial intelligence to enhance and expand the delivery of evidence-based, personalized support that helps survivors manage symptoms, improve quality of life and stay connected to their care team.”

Meeting Survivors Where They Are

Advances in screening, treatment and supportive care have fueled a growing population of cancer survivors in the United States. Yet many patients continue to experience fatigue, anxiety, stress, treatment-related symptoms and other challenges that can affect quality of life long after therapy is complete.

Supportive care services can address those concerns, but limited resources, workforce shortages and fragmented care often make it difficult for patients to access help when they need it. The Sylvester team hopes My Wellness Support will bridge those gaps by delivering evidence-based guidance that adapts to each survivor’s evolving needs.

Infographic titled“AI-Powered Support for Breast Cancer Survivors: How My Wellness Support extends personalized survivorship care beyond clinic visits.” The infographic explains an artificial intelligence-enabled survivorship support platform developed for breast cancer survivors. The left section highlights that up to 80% of breast cancer survivors report at least one unmet supportive care need after treatment and lists common challenges including fatigue, stress and anxiety, treatment-related symptoms, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and access to supportive care. The center section depicts My Wellness Support, an oncology-trained AI companion that integrates patient-reported outcomes, clinical records, symptom monitoring, survivorship monitoring, personalized recommendations, and care team communication. A workflow shows data collected from patient questionnaires, symptom reports, clinical records, and ongoing interactions being analyzed by adaptive AI to identify risks, patterns, and emerging concerns before delivering personalized support. The right section outlines a four-step process: collect, identify, personalize, and connect, including clinician oversight and escalation pathways when additional support is needed. The bottom section notes that more than 34,000 ambulatory oncology patients contributed data through the My Wellness Check program, including patient-reported outcomes, nutrition information, supportive care assessments, and clinical insights. Expected benefits include earlier identification of concerns, improved symptom management, greater access to supportive care, more personalized survivorship support, and stronger patient-clinician connections. A safety and oversight panel emphasizes clinician oversight, secure data management, escalation pathways for urgent concerns, and patient-centered survivorship care. The infographic is presented in University of Miami-inspired green and orange colors and notes support from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Short Alt Text (WordPress Version)

Infographic showing how the AI-powered My Wellness Support platform uses patient-reported outcomes, clinical data, and clinician oversight to deliver personalized survivorship.

At the center of the platform is an oncology-trained AI companion designed to engage survivors in conversations about symptom management, psychosocial well-being, stress reduction, healthy lifestyle behaviors and survivorship self-management.

Importantly, researchers emphasize that the technology is designed to enhance and expand care beyond the cancer center walls while supporting patient and clinician engagement. The platform will incorporate safeguards and escalation pathways that keep care teams informed and allow them to communicate and intervene when necessary.

Building on a Strong Foundation

The project builds on years of survivorship research at Sylvester’s Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute.

Through the My Wellness Check program, researchers have collected patient-reported outcomes, supportive care needs assessments and nutrition data from more than 34,000 ambulatory oncology patients. Those data have helped clarify how symptoms and supportive care needs affect health outcomes, including hospitalizations and emergency room visits, creating a foundation for more personalized survivorship interventions.

The new platform will use patient questionnaires, clinical records and ongoing interactions to risk-stratify patients based on clinical profiles, identify emerging concerns and connect survivors with appropriate resources, ranging from self-directed, evidence-based intervention tools to engagement with their care teams. Researchers believe this proactive approach could help address concerns earlier and improve the survivorship experience.

Studio portrait of Akina Natori, M.D., wearing a white University of Miami Miller School of Medicine lab coat, posed against a neutral gray background. — Dr. Akina Natori is looking at ways to to use adaptive technology to connect cancer patients with appropriate support resources.

“Our research has shown that patient-reported symptoms and supportive care needs can help identify individuals who may be at risk for poorer outcomes,” said Akina Natori, M.D., MSPH, a Sylvester oncologist and assistant professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at the Miller School. “By combining those insights with adaptive technology, we have an opportunity to intervene earlier and connect patients with the resources they need when they need them most.”

Advancing the Future of Supportive Care

The project will move through several phases, beginning with refinement of the platform’s adaptive AI capabilities and personalization features. Researchers will then evaluate feasibility and usability among breast cancer survivors before launching a larger study of patient outcomes and implementation strategies.

Patient privacy and safety remain central to the platform’s design, with safeguards that include secure data management, clinician oversight and pathways for responding to urgent patient concerns.

For Sylvester researcher Sara Fleszar-Pavlović, Ph.D., project co-lead, research assistant professor in the Miller School’s Department of Medical Oncology and director of research operations for Sylvester’s Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute, the project represents an opportunity to reimagine how supportive care can be delivered in the future.

Professional outdoor portrait of Sara E. Fleszar-Pavlovic seated in front of a background of green foliage, wearing a gray blazer and white top. — The goal of supportive care technology, says Dr. Sara Fleszar-Pavlović, is to make personalized care more accessible.

“What excites us most is the potential to make supportive cancer care more accessible, personalized and responsive,” said Dr. Fleszar-Pavlović. “My Wellness Support is designed to complement clinicians by extending evidence-based survivorship support beyond the clinic and adapting to patients’ changing needs over time.”

As South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, Sylvester continues to invest in research that connects scientific innovation with meaningful patient impact. The BCRF-supported project reflects a broader commitment to patient-centered research and developing tools that improve the lives of people living with and beyond cancer.

Researchers hope the lessons learned through My Wellness Support will help create scalable models of supportive care that can improve quality of life for breast cancer survivors and, ultimately, for patients across the cancer continuum.