PS02.07 Telemedicine: A New Era for the Treatment of Patients with Cancer: Topic: Medical Oncology

The technological advances have improved the knowledge on tumor biology, thus increasing the complexity of the therapeutic strategies generally used to treat patients with cancer, and determining the sub specialization of oncologists in specific sub oncological areas, especially in referral centers. Moreover, the need for certainty in an incurable disease like cancer often induces patients to seek for a second opinion. Telemedicine is a tool that by a computer or a mobile application allows patients to receive medical consultation, thus reducing the costs of traveling and sparing time before initiation of treatment. We have developed a digital platform in Java, using the Microsoft Azure Cloud technology, with the aim to connect patients, from their personal computer to expert oncologists, selected in IT, according to their involvement in clinical trials and the impact factor of their publications. Through a built-in algorithm, the patient is able to identify the medical expert for his/her disease and, through a private and secure area, transfer to the expert all the medical documentation, including clinical records and imaging. The platform was designed and created according to the European data protection and privacy laws. From October 2016 to March 2017, 56 patients with cancer (46 from IT and ten from other Countries) requested a consultation for a second opinion to the platform. In the majority of cases (43%) patients had a diagnosis of lung cancer. The average time from referral to obtaining medical advice was three days. In 85% of patients, the diagnosis and treatment were confirmed, while approximately 45% of those who had to modify therapy entered in clinical trials. Satisfaction with the service was very high according to surveys, scoring out of 95%. Moreover, there was cost savings of a median of 550 euros per patient (only Italian patients were monitored for this outcome), and pollution reduced of - 6 tones CO2. Telemedicine is cost effective for both patients and caregivers. It is expected that the use of telemedicine will be expanded, and it might become as a tool to improve the enrollment in clinical trials. Controlled studies should be conducted in order to ensure its proper use while recognizing the capabilities and limitations.