Sylvester Researchers Chart a New Path for AI in Cancer Survivorship
Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center have published a framework for responsibly developing AI-powered survivorship tools while testing an approach designed to help breast cancer survivors receive personalized support between appointments.
Key Takeaways
- Sylvester researchers published a framework for developing, evaluating and implementing AI tools in cancer survivorship and supportive care.
- The team is testing My Wellness Support with breast cancer survivors to evaluate engagement, usability, safety and patient-reported outcomes.
- The platform is designed to personalize evidence-based support while maintaining clinical oversight and safety guardrails.
The final chemotherapy infusion, radiation treatment or follow-up appointment may mark the conclusion of primary cancer treatment. For many survivors, however, it signals the beginning of a new chapter defined by persistent side effects, unresolved questions and concerns that may not fit neatly within the scope of the next scheduled visit.
A breast cancer survivor experiencing fatigue may wonder whether these symptoms are expected. Someone coping with anxiety about recurrence may need guidance during a difficult time. Others may face nutritional challenges, sleep disturbances or practical concerns in the weeks following their clinic visit.
As health systems nationwide explore using artificial intelligence to fill care gaps, few roadmaps exist for safely implementing this emerging technology in cancer survivorship and supportive care. Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, are helping fill that gap.
A Framework for AI-Supported Survivorship Care
A team led by Frank Penedo, Ph.D., director of Sylvester’s Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute and Sylvester associate director for population sciences, recently published a framework that offers a structured approach for developing, testing and scaling AI tools designed specifically to support cancer survivors. The framework, Precision AI for Survivorship and Supportive Care, describes a patient-responsive ecosystem for survivorship and supportive care interventions integrating oncology AI tools.
The article presents My Wellness Support as a sample AI-enabled platform being developed to provide personalized, evidence-based and AI-supported adjunctive survivorship and supportive care. This proof-of-concept study tests the innovative approach with breast cancer survivors to evaluate engagement, usability, safety and patient-reported outcomes.
“For many survivors, the hardest part isn’t always treatment itself. It’s what happens afterward, when patients are managing fatigue, anxiety, uncertainty and other challenges between clinic visits,” said Dr. Penedo. “We’re exploring whether AI can help extend evidence-based support beyond the walls of the cancer center so survivors feel more connected, informed and supported throughout their journey, while not replacing in-person care and having access to their providers as part of their standard of care.”
Building on a Strong Survivorship Foundation
The framework builds on years of survivorship research and clinical infrastructure developed at Sylvester. Through My Wellness Check, an electronic health record-integrated screening and triage program, patients routinely report symptoms, quality-of-life concerns, practical needs and other survivorship challenges before appointments. Since expanding across the cancer center, the program has collected longitudinal patient-reported outcomes, supportive care needs and nutritional data from more than 37,000 ambulatory oncology patients.
Researchers also evaluated data from a subsample that included 25,592 of these ambulatory cancer survivors followed over 36 months to develop machine-learning models that identify patterns associated with symptom burden and unplanned health care utilization. Implementing these advanced analytic and AI-driven techniques improved predictive precision for unfavorable outcomes by over 25%. Together, those resources provide the foundation for developing more personalized supportive care strategies.
Questions About AI in Cancer Survivorship Care
What is the Precision AI for Survivorship and Supportive Care framework?
It is a structured approach for developing, evaluating and scaling AI tools intended to support cancer survivors while emphasizing patient-centered design, clinical oversight, safety and continuous evaluation.
What is My Wellness Support?
My Wellness Support is an AI-enabled platform under development that is designed to use patient-reported, clinical and behavioral information to identify needs and tailor evidence-based support.
Will the platform replace clinicians?
No. The researchers describe it as an additional layer of support that would operate with clinical monitoring and human oversight. The project remains in early testing.
The newly published framework outlines a process for developing, evaluating and implementing AI tools in survivorship care while emphasizing patient-centered design, clinical oversight, patient safety and continuous evaluation.
Personalized Support Between Appointments
The team’s current work builds on the data and infrastructure behind My Wellness Check. The My Wellness Support platform combines patient-reported outcomes, clinical records and behavioral information to identify risk patterns and unmet needs. That information tailors evidence-based educational resources, symptom-management strategies, resources to address practical needs and supportive care recommendations to each patient. Survivors would interact with an AI companion while the study team and clinicians monitor trends, risk scores and alerts through a dedicated dashboard.
“A patient may be doing well medically but still be struggling with symptoms, stress or questions that arise between appointments,” said Akina Natori, M.D., MSPH, a Sylvester oncologist and assistant professor in the Miller School’s Division of Medical Oncology. “The goal is not to replace those interactions with clinicians but to create another layer of support that helps identify concerns earlier and gives patients access to trusted, evidence-based information when they need it.”
Researchers say the platform is designed to operate within established clinical guidelines and safety guardrails, and maintain human oversight. The project remains in early testing.
How Are Researchers Addressing Safety and Trust?
For the Sylvester team, innovation must be accompanied by rigorous evaluation.
“New technologies often move faster than the systems designed to evaluate them,” said Sara Fleszar-Pavlović, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Miller School’s Division of Medical Oncology and director of research operations for Sylvester’s Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute. “That’s why our framework emphasizes scientific validation, transparency and continuous evaluation. If AI is going to become part of adjunctive survivorship and supportive care, we have to ensure it is safe, effective and developed with a range of patient populations in mind.”
By pairing new technology with rigorous science, researchers hope to help cancer survivors receive the support they need between appointments while establishing a model for how AI can be responsibly integrated into survivorship and supportive care.
AI and the Miller School of Medicine
A new UHealth clinic uses AI-assisted technology and multidisciplinary care to ensure incidental lung nodules receive timely follow-up.
Dr. Natale shares how community partnerships, research and responsible technology can expand developmental support for children and families.
A pulmonary medicine expert explains where AI is helping clinicians today and what responsible adoption requires.
Miller School researchers used AI and laboratory experiments to identify TM184C, a protein that helps cells connect and share resources.
Tags: AI, Akina Natori, artificial intelligence, breast cancer, cancer research, Cancer Support Services, cancer survivorship, data science, Division of Medical Oncology, Dr. Frank Penedo, Dr. Sara Fleszar-Pavlovic, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sylvester’s Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute, team science