Indian AI Cancer Care Platform Spotlighted in BRICS Health Journal
iOncology.ai, an AI platform by AIIMS and C-DAC, gains recognition at the BRICS Summit for its potential in cancer care.
An innovative artificial intelligence platform from India, designed to enhance cancer care, has been featured in a special issue of the BRICS Health Journal. The platform, known as iOncology.ai, was developed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune, with support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The platform's inclusion in the journal coincided with the BRICS Summit held on September 12-13.
Advancing Cancer Care in Emerging Economies
The review, titled “Transforming cancer care in emerging economies: India’s AI innovation,” explores how iOncology.ai aims to improve cancer screening, early diagnosis, and access to specialist care. Authored by Ashok Sharma and colleagues from AIIMS and C-DAC, the paper highlights the platform's potential to integrate clinical data for early detection, risk stratification, treatment planning, and longitudinal patient-data management.
Dr. Ashok Sharma emphasized the opportunity for India to leverage iOncology.ai to bridge cancer-care disparities across the Global South. He stated, “Through BRICS collaboration, our focus should be on strengthening cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and therapy through evidence-based, interoperable solutions tailored to the needs of emerging economies.”
Current Status and Future Prospects
iOncology.ai is currently in the pilot stage of clinical validation and implementation evaluation. While the platform is not yet clinically validated, it is being assessed in research mode. Prospective multicentre validation is required to establish its diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility before it can be widely used in clinical settings.
The review also places iOncology.ai within the broader context of India’s cancer-control and digital-health infrastructure, which includes population screening, cancer surveillance, tertiary care, and initiatives like the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. The platform utilizes curated Indian datasets and plans to incorporate genetic data, aiming for integration with electronic health-record systems.
BRICS countries, which account for over 40% of the world's population, face significant cancer-related challenges, with approximately 9 million new cases and 4.66 million deaths annually. The review underscores the disparities in cancer patterns and access to care across these nations.