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theijcs.com The IJCS / Vol 1 / Issue 1

Mobile Applications in Oncology

Anil Kumar Dhull, Vivek Kaushal

Department of Radiation Oncology, Regional Cancer Centre,
Pt. B. D. Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana, INDIA

Introduction

Cancer is a common disease, particularly among older adults, although all age groups remain at risk. According to
figures from the National Cancer Institute, almost 40 percent of American men and women will experience some form
of cancer in their lifetime. There are numerous types of treatment protocols of different cancer types making things

challenging and gruelling. There is an increased interest in smartphone applications as a tool for delivery of health-
care information. Smart phones, or mobile phones with the features of a personal computer such as email access and
internet browsing, can benefit a lot to Oncology fraternity. Mobile applications represent promising telemedical tools or

mHealth tools for patientreported symptoms or disease parameters in an oncological setting and also offers many
additional features including interactive algorithms. With the help of these apps, we can search the name of a specific
drug, its dosages, indications, as well as any potential side effects. Some apps are great way to keep track of medical

advancements, related news and can also search for specific topics including references and other evidences.
Medical errors are the other unfortunate part of medical care, but clinicians may greatly underestimate how much they
contribute to the problem. Papier et al points to analyses of malpractice claims that show diagnostic errors are the

largest cause of lawsuits and further confirmed that 99% clinicians attempt inadvertent errors, however only 1% of
practicing clinicians are the "master diagnosticians," who are prefect in their diagnostic management without any
errors. That would mean that 99% of doctors regularly make errors that they never realize they made.

Different Mobile Applications The field of oncology is marked by experimental treatments, burgeoning research and
exciting clinical therapeutic trials. Apps aren’t just for gamers and hipsters. The technology field has also been busy
doing its part to make diagnosing and treating cancer easier for oncologists and researchers. These latest applications

can keep tech savvy doctors on top of the latest symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment procedures, and bring peace of
mind to patients. So it’s no surprise that oncologists were among the first practitioners to embrace mobile technologies
and realize the benefits of incorporating these tools into their routine daily practice. What follows are list of the best

medical apps for oncologists which includes Epocrates, UpToDate, Medscape, NCCN, ESMO, QxMD, PEPID,
Doximity (Amion), Micromedex, John Hopkins ABX guidelines, PubMed, ESMO, ASCO, Mendeley, Browzine,
Inpractive Oncology etc. There are high number of users of these apps on Android and iOS platforms which includes 5

million for Medscape, 1 million for Epocrates, 1 million for PubMed, 0.5 million for UpToDate, 0.5 million for QxMD, 0.5
million for Mendeley, 0.1 million for PEPID, 0.1 million for Micromedex, 50 thousand for Doximity, 50 thousand for
Corresponding Author
NCCN, 10 thousand for ESMO, 10 thousand for Browzine, 10 thousand for John Hopkins ABX Guidelines, 5 thousand
Dr. Vikas Sharma
for ASCO etc.
Division of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Sher-e-Kashmir University of
Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Main Campus Chatha, Jammu-180009

P.T.O

The Integrated Indian Journal of Cancer Sciences