Launch of new app in Italy which empowers cancer patients to identify their treatment options

Leveraging artificial intelligence, CURIA^TM App provides cancer patients with reliable and individualised information on treatments, clinical trials and experts.

Eschborn, 15 december 2020 – CURIA^TM, a free mobile app developed in Germany, is now available in Italy for download on Android and iOS. The app is launched with the support of IncontraDonna Onlus, one of the most relevant patient associations for women’s cancers.

CURIA^TM provides cancer patients access to accurate and individually structured information, tailored to their cancer profile thanks to a questionnaire. AI-technology, monitored by a qualified human- care team, collects information on treatments, clinical trials and experts from accredited sources such as drug regulatory agencies and international clinical trial registries, keeping it constantly updated.

In 2020, 377,000¹ new cancer cases were diagnosed in Italy in 2020, and in their mutual mission to promote strategies to fight cancer, CURIA^TM and IncontraDonna are working to encourage an active and conscious involvement of patients in their cancer journey and in the decisions that affect their health.

More than 70% of Italian cancer patients said that using health apps leads to becoming involved in their own health, as well as increasing their knowledge about the disease.²

“For people with cancer, it is very important to search online possible treatment options for their disease or seek a second opinion. However, much of the information is outdated or irrelevant. CURIA’s^TM technology is designed to provide only relevant information in an easy-to-understand format,” says Chiara Thanner, CURIA^TM App Lead.

CURIA^TM App also provides patients the possibility to apply for clinical trials of their interest, allowing them to explore different research and treatment options.

Prof. Adriana Bonifacino, President of IncontraDonna Onlus, explained: “the international trend is moving towards an increased involvement of patients and citizens in clinical research. In Italy, there is still a lot of work to be done to make the population aware of the possibility of actively choosing to take part in a clinical trial; in order to encourage participation, it is necessary to promote the value of research and the methods used to develop it”.

References:

1. AIRTUM, AIOM (2020), I numeri del cancro in Italia 2020 per cittadini e pazienti.
https://www.aiom.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020_Numeri_Cancro-operatori-web.pdf

2. Osservatorio sulla condizione assistenziale dei malati oncologici (2020), 12° Rapporto sulla condizione assistenziale dei malati oncologici, pp. 146-151.
https://osservatorio.favo.it/dodicesimo-rapporto/