The global incidence of cancer continues to rise, both in high-income countries and, especially, in low- and middle-income countries. In 2020, there were approximately 19.3 million newly diagnosed cancer cases, and 10.0 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. By 2050, the number of cancer cases is predicted to increase 77% to 35 million cases.
The economic cost for cancer treatment and care has been escalating 6%-9% annually, standing at around US$550 billion as of 2020. Moreover, geographic and economic barriers result in significant disparities in cancer survival rates between high-, middle- and low-income countries, for instance 67% in the US, 50% in India, and as low as 30% in sub-Saharan Africa. The escalating cost and complexity of cancer treatment necessitate a radical transformation in cancer care.
The Global Alliance for Intelligent Oncology (GAFIO) is dedicated to transforming the future of oncology by the integration of cutting-edge AI technology into every stage of cancer care, an emerging field called Intelligent Oncology.
The long-term goal is to deliver AI and data science solutions in areas such as cancer prevention and screening, early diagnosis and treatment, treatment assessment and prognosis, treatment toxicity and resistance, drug discovery and development, tele-oncology, and supportive care.
By 2050, we aim to establish an intelligent oncology ecosystem that leverages advanced AI-driven multimodal data analytics on cloud computing platform to optimize treatment decision-making for cancer patients worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, thereby significantly improving survival while reducing economic costs and closing global disparities.
