A contemporary review of breast cancer risk factors and the role of artificial intelligence.

Background: Breast cancer continues to be a significant global health issue, necessitating advancements in prevention and early detection strategies. This review aims to assess and synthesize research conducted from 2020 to the present, focusing on breast cancer risk factors, including genetic, lifestyle, and environmental aspects, as well as the innovative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in prediction and diagnostics. Methods: A comprehensive literature search, covering studies from 2020 to the present, was conducted to evaluate the diversity of breast cancer risk factors and the latest advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in this field. The review prioritized high-quality peer-reviewed research articles and meta-analyses. Results: Our analysis reveals a complex interplay of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental risk factors for breast cancer, with significant variability across different populations. Furthermore, AI has emerged as a promising tool in enhancing the accuracy of breast cancer risk prediction and the personalization of prevention strategies. Conclusion: The review highlights the necessity for personalized breast cancer prevention and detection approaches that account for individual risk factor profiles. It underscores the potential of AI to revolutionize these strategies, offering clear recommendations for future research directions and clinical practice improvements.

Effects on Quality of Life of a Telemonitoring Platform amongst Patients with Cancer (EQUALITE): A Randomized Trial Protocol.

Cancer, a pervasive global health challenge, necessitates chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments for many prevalent forms. However, traditional follow-up approaches encounter limitations, exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, telemonitoring has emerged as a promising solution, although its clinical implementation lacks comprehensive evidence. This report depicts the methodology of a randomized trial which aims to investigate whether leveraging a smartphone app called Contigo for disease monitoring enhances self-reported quality of life among patients with various solid cancers compared to standard care. Secondary objectives encompass evaluating the app's impact on depressive symptoms and assessing adherence to in-person appointments. Randomization will be performed independently using an allocation sequence that will be kept concealed from clinical investigators. Contigo offers two primary functions: monitoring cancer patients' progress and providing educational content to assist patients in managing common clinical situations related to their disease. The study will assess outcomes such as quality of life changes and depressive symptom development using validated scales, and adherence to in-person appointments. Specific scales include the EuroQol Group's EQ-5D questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). We hypothesize that the use of Contigo will assist and empower patients receiving cancer treatment, which will translate to better quality of life scores and a reduced incidence of depressive symptoms. All analyses will be undertaken with the intention-to-treat principle by a statistician unaware of treatment allocation. This trial is registered in ClinicalTrials under the registration number NCT06086990.

Differential Effects of a Telemonitoring Platform in the Development of Chemotherapy-Associated Toxicity: A Randomized Trial Protocol.

Chemotherapy requires careful monitoring, but traditional follow-up approaches face significant challenges that were highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, exploration into telemonitoring as an alternative emerged. The objective is to assess the impact of a telemonitoring platform that provides clinical data to physicians overseeing solid tumor patients, aiming to enhance the care experience. The methodology outlines a parallel-group randomized clinical trial involving recently diagnosed patients with solid carcinomas preparing for curative intent chemotherapy. Eligible adult patients diagnosed with specific carcinoma types and proficient in Spanish, possessing smartphones, will be invited to participate. They will be randomized using concealed allocation sequences into two groups: one utilizing a specialized smartphone application called Contigo for monitoring chemotherapy toxicity symptoms and accessing educational content, while the other receives standard care. Primary outcome assessment involves patient experience during chemotherapy using a standardized questionnaire. Secondary outcomes include evaluating severe chemotherapy-associated toxicity, assessing quality of life, and determining user satisfaction with the application. The research will adhere to intention-to-treat principles. This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06077123).

esafíos en la vigilancia de todos los casos de cáncer en Chile: Registro Nacional de Cáncer / Challenges in surveillance of all cancer cases: The Chilean National Cancer Registry

El cáncer causa millones de muertes a nivel mundial por lo que su registro es fundamental, existiendo registros clínicos, hospitalarios y poblacionales. Estos últimos son el estándar de oro para la información sobre incidencia y supervivencia de cáncer en una región definida. En Chile se cuenta con cinco registros poblacionales ubicados en ciertas zonas del país. El Registro Nacional del Cáncer chileno surge como un desafío para conformar una herramienta transversal a los tres tipos de registro con la finalidad de, al menos, conocer la cantidad de casos por tipo de cáncer. Su diseño implicó un despliegue de acciones orientadas a lograr consensos entre diversos actores respecto de la información, validación y eventos necesarios de registrar. Se identificaron cuatro etapas en el proceso de atención y el registro: sospecha de diagnóstico, confirmación morfológica (biopsia), resolución clínica (comité oncológico incluyendo la indicación de tratamiento), tratamiento y seguimiento oncológico. A su vez, el desarrollo de la plataforma (años 2018 a 2021) implicó levantamiento de información y acuerdos sobre los requerimientos para el co-diseño del registro, incluyendo un exitoso pilotaje con más de 20 establecimientos de salud del sector público y privado con registro de cerca de 7500 casos de cáncer. El despliegue y uso del Registro Nacional de Cáncer a nivel nacional depende de la autoridad sanitaria. Se trata de un sistema de información que recolecta, almacena, procesa y analiza de forma continua y sistemática datos sobre todos los casos y tipos de cánceres que ocurren en el país. En este trabajo se presenta el diseño y desarrollo de la herramienta, los desafíos abordados, sus fortalezas y debilidades.

Cancer causes millions of deaths worldwide, making its registration essential. There are clinical, hospital, and population-based registries in place. The latter is the gold standard for information on cancer incidence and survival in a defined region. Chile has five population-based registries located in specific areas of the country. The Chilean National Cancer Registry emerged with the challenge of creating a tool encompassing all three types of registries to identify the number of cancer cases by type. Its design involved a series of actions to achieve consensus among various actors regarding information, validation, and events to be registered. Four stages were identified in the care and registration process: suspected diagnosis, morphological confirmation (biopsy), clinical resolution (oncology committee, including treatment recommendations), treatment, and oncological follow-up. The platform's development (from 2018 to 2021) involved gathering information and agreements on the requirements for co-designing the registry, including a successful pilot program with over 20 public and private healthcare facilities that recorded nearly 7500 cancer cases. The deployment and use of the National Cancer Registry at a national level depends on the healthcare authority. It is an information system that continuously and systematically collects, stores, processes, and analyzes data on all cancer cases and types occurring in the country. This work presents the design and development of the tool, the challenges addressed, as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

Challenges in surveillance of all cancer cases: The Chilean National Cancer Registry. / Desafíos en la vigilancia de todos los casos de cáncer en Chile: Registro Nacional de Cáncer.

Cancer causes millions of deaths worldwide, making its registration essential. There are clinical, hospital, and population-based registries in place. The latter is the gold standard for information on cancer incidence and survival in a defined region. Chile has five population-based registries located in specific areas of the country. The Chilean National Cancer Registry emerged with the challenge of creating a tool encompassing all three types of registries to identify the number of cancer cases by type. Its design involved a series of actions to achieve consensus among various actors regarding information, validation, and events to be registered. Four stages were identified in the care and registration process: suspected diagnosis, morphological confirmation (biopsy), clinical resolution (oncology committee, including treatment recommendations), treatment, and oncological follow-up. The platform's development (from 2018 to 2021) involved gathering information and agreements on the requirements for co-designing the registry, including a successful pilot program with over 20 public and private healthcare facilities that recorded nearly 7500 cancer cases. The deployment and use of the National Cancer Registry at a national level depends on the healthcare authority. It is an information system that continuously and systematically collects, stores, processes, and analyzes data on all cancer cases and types occurring in the country. This work presents the design and development of the tool, the challenges addressed, as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

El cáncer causa millones de muertes a nivel mundial por lo que su registro es fundamental, existiendo registros clínicos, hospitalarios y poblacionales. Estos últimos son el estándar de oro para la información sobre incidencia y supervivencia de cáncer en una región definida. En Chile se cuenta con cinco registros poblacionales ubicados en ciertas zonas del país. El Registro Nacional del Cáncer chileno surge como un desafío para conformar una herramienta transversal a los tres tipos de registro con la finalidad de, al menos, conocer la cantidad de casos por tipo de cáncer. Su diseño implicó un despliegue de acciones orientadas a lograr consensos entre diversos actores respecto de la información, validación y eventos necesarios de registrar. Se identificaron cuatro etapas en el proceso de atención y el registro: sospecha de diagnóstico, confirmación morfológica (biopsia), resolución clínica (comité oncológico incluyendo la indicación de tratamiento), tratamiento y seguimiento oncológico. A su vez, el desarrollo de la plataforma (años 2018 a 2021) implicó levantamiento de información y acuerdos sobre los requerimientos para el co-diseño del registro, incluyendo un exitoso pilotaje con más de 20 establecimientos de salud del sector público y privado con registro de cerca de 7500 casos de cáncer. El despliegue y uso del Registro Nacional de Cáncer a nivel nacional depende de la autoridad sanitaria. Se trata de un sistema de información que recolecta, almacena, procesa y analiza de forma continua y sistemática datos sobre todos los casos y tipos de cánceres que ocurren en el país. En este trabajo se presenta el diseño y desarrollo de la herramienta, los desafíos abordados, sus fortalezas y debilidades.

Co-design of a Mobile App for Engaging Breast Cancer Patients in Reporting Health Experiences: Qualitative Case Study.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends incorporating patient-reported experience measures and patient-reported outcome measures to ensure care processes. New technologies, such as mobile apps, could help report and monitor patients' adverse effects and doubts during treatment. However, engaging patients in the daily use of mobile apps is a challenge that must be addressed in accordance with the needs of people. OBJECTIVE: We present a qualitative case study documenting the process of identifying the information needs of breast cancer patients and health care professionals during the treatment process in a Chilean cancer institution. The study aims to identify patients' information requirements for integration into a mobile app that accompanies patients throughout their treatment while also providing features for reporting adverse symptoms. METHODS: We conducted focus groups with breast cancer patients who were undergoing chemotherapy (n=3) or who completed chemotherapy between 3 months and 1 year (n=1). We also surveyed health care professionals (n=9) who were involved in patient care and who belonged to the oncology committee of the cancer center where the study took place. Content analysis was applied to the responses to categorize the information needs and the means to satisfy them. A user interface was designed according to the findings of the focus groups and was assessed by 3 trained information system and user interaction design experts from 2 countries, using heuristic evaluation guidelines for mobile apps. RESULTS: Patients' information needs were classified into 4 areas: an overview of the disease, information on treatment and day-to-day affairs, assistance on the normality and abnormality of symptoms during treatment, and symptoms relevant to report. Health care professionals required patients to be provided with information on the administrative and financial process. We noted that the active involvement of the following 4 main actors is required to satisfy the information needs: patients, caregivers, social network moderators, and health professionals. Seven usability guidelines were extracted from the heuristic evaluation recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: A mobile app that seeks to accompany breast cancer patients to report symptoms requires the involvement of multiple participants to handle the reports and day-to-day information needs. User interfaces must be designed with consideration of the patient's social conventions and the emotional load of the disease information.

Effects of internet-based telemonitoring platforms on the quality of life of oncologic patients: A systematic literature review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Telemonitoring involves the transmission of clinical information through digital means, including internet-connected devices such as smartphones, health tracking apps and video conferencing platforms. This strategy could provide a viable alternative to facilitate follow-up in several conditions, including cancer. OBJECTIVES: To synthesise the available evidence on the effectiveness of internet-based telemonitoring platforms amongst oncological patients. Relevant endpoints include overall quality of life, the ability to detect postoperative complications, severe toxicity reactions attributable to chemotherapy, reducing the frequency of hospitalisations, emergency department visits and mortality. METHODS: A systematic review of published and unpublished randomised and controlled studies will be carried out. Iterative searches in PubMED/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Epistemonikos, LILACS, and Cochrane CENTRAL repositories from January 2000 to January 2023 will be conducted. Grey literature repositories, such as Clinicaltrials, BioRxiv and MedRxiv will be searched as well. The Cochrane risk of bias tool will be used to assess the quality of the eligible studies. If possible, a meta-analysis based on the random-effects model will be conducted to evaluate changes in any of the aforementioned outcomes. Heterogeneity will be assessed with Cochrane's Q and I2 statistics. Its exploration will be carried out using subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Relevant subgroups include the proportion of elderly patients in each study, characteristics of each platform, study type, type of funding and moment of conduction (i.e. before or after the COVID-19 pandemic). Publication bias will be assessed using funnel plots and Egger's test. REGISTRATION: This systematic review protocol is registered in PROSPERO. Its registration number is CRD42023412705.

Experiencia en la implementación de un sistema informático para la gestión de camas hospitalarias / Implementation experience of an informatic system for the management of hospital beds

La gestión de camas al interior de los centros asistenciales es fundamental para la atención de las necesidades de salud de la población. Actualmente, en Chile se cuenta con escasas herramientas informáticas que agilicen las funciones que realizan las unidades de gestión de camas de los centros asistenciales. El objetivo del presente artículo es describir la implementación de un sistema informático de gestión de camas en tres hospitales de mediana (Modular en La Serena) y alta complejidad (San José del Carmen en Copiapó y San Juan de Dios en La Serena) de la red pública de salud de Chile. El proceso utilizó el de diseminación e implementación, lo que permitió contar con un flujo coherente de gestión de camas, a saber: solicitud, asignación de cama, traslado, hospitalización y egreso de paciente. Asimismo, se identificaron los actores relevantes y las variables mínimas para el adecuado proceso. La implementación del sistema se llevó a cabo en etapas de validación y configuración de la plataforma en cada centro asistencial, capacitaciones a los usuarios y acompañamiento de la puesta en marcha. A la fecha, los tres hospitales cuentan operativamente con el sistema informático de gestión de camas hospitalarias, no reportando dificultades en su uso. El próximo desafío es efectuar una evaluación integral del impacto de la plataforma, utilizando los indicadores acordados con los equipos clínicos/administrativos de los centros de salud.

The management of beds within healthcare centers is essential for meeting the health needs of the population. Currently, in Chile there are few computer tools that streamline the functions performed by the Bed Management Units of healthcare centers. The objective of this article is to describe the implementation of a bed management computer system in three hospitals of medium (Modular-La Serena) and high complexity (San José del Carmen-Copiapó y San Juan de Dios-La Serena) of the Chilean public health network. The process used the Framework of dissemination and implementation, which allowed for a consistent flow of bed management, namely: request, allocation of bed, transfer, hospitalization and patient discharge. Likewise, the relevant actors and the minimum variables for the adequate process were identified. The implementation of the system was carried out in stages of validation and configuration of the platform in each healthcare center, user training and follow-up of the start-up. To date, the three hospitals have an operational computer system for managing hospital beds, reporting no difficulties in its use. The next challenge is to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of the platform, using the indicators agreed upon with the clinical/administrative teams of the health centers.

Vigilancia epidemiológica en pandemia de COVID-19: Sistema EPIVIGILA / Epidemiological surveillance in COVID- 19 pandemic: EPIVIGILA system

En marzo 2020 se despliega la primera versión de EPIVIGILA en un ambiente productivo, plataforma de integración tecnológica de vigilancia epidemiológica nacional para enfermedades de notificación obligatoria (a pocos días del caso 1 de COVID- 19 local). Anteriormente, Chile usaba un proceso manual que probablemente hubiese fracasado ante un volumen máximo superior a 38 000 notificaciones diarias, en un país con 18 millones de habitantes, de geografía larga y angosta y gobernanza centralizada. El objetivo del trabajo es relevar la importancia que tiene en el manejo de la pandemia el sistema nacional de vigilancia electrónico EPIVIGILA. La principal fortaleza del sistema es su capacidad de adaptación a las necesidades de información fidedigna, precisa, oportuna y en tiempo real. EPIVIGILA fue capaz de incluir, en el curso de las circunstancias, distintos flujos, actores, datos y funcionalidades con altas expectativas de exactitud. Ello permitió que las autoridades pudieran evaluar el impacto de las medidas implementadas para el manejo y control de la pandemia. Su versatilidad posiciona a esta plataforma entre las pocas en el mundo que opera datos nacionales en una pandemia con un alto nivel de granularidad en un único sistema. En Chile, EPIVIGILA es la principal fuente de información para los reportes diarios, informes epidemiológicos y datos publicados en sitios web gubernamentales sobre COVID- 19. Así, el uso de sistemas electrónicos muestran ser un soporte fundamental para la salud pública, porque el registro y procesamiento de los datos genera información clara, confiable y oportuna, contribuyendo a que las autoridades puedan tomar decisiones orientadas a disminuir la propagación de enfermedades transmisibles, evitar muertes y mejorar la calidad de vida de la población.

In March 2020, the first version of EPIVIGILA was deployed in a productive environment a few days after the first local case of COVID- 19. This system is a technological integration plat-form for national epidemiological surveillance of notifiable diseases. Previously, Chile used a manual process that would probably have failed with a peak volume of more than 38 000 daily notifications; in a country with 18 million inhabitants, long and narrow geography, and centralized governance. This work highlights the importance of the national electronic surveillance system ­ EPIVIGILA ­ in managing the pandemic. The system's main strength is its ability to adapt to the needs of reliable, precise, timely, and real- time information. EPIVIGILA was able to include, under the circumstances, different flows, actors, data, and functionalities with high expectations of accuracy. This valuable information allowed the authorities to assess the impact of the measures to manage and control the pandemic. Its versatility positions this platform among the few globally that operates national data with a high level of granularity in a single system through a pandemic. In Chile, EPIVIGILA is the primary source of information for daily reports, epidemiological reports, and data published on government websites about COVID- 19. Thus, electronic systems prove fundamental for public health because the recording and processing of data generate clear, reliable, and timely information, helping authorities make decisions to reduce the spread of infectious diseases, prevent deaths, and improve the population's quality of life.