Virtual helpers and clear visuals to make cancer symptom reports easier to use
Official title: Improving PRO Interpretation at the Individual Level for Patients with Cancer using Conversational Agents and Data Visualization
Funded at Tufts Medical Center · NIH-11299567 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project helps people with cancer use talking virtual agents and easy-to-read visuals so they can report symptoms and quality-of-life concerns more clearly.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $663,108 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA271145-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11299567 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults with cancer who complete symptom or quality-of-life questionnaires, particularly people who struggle with written forms, have limited health literacy, or have cognitive concerns.
✕Less likely to help
People without cancer, those who are comfortable with standard paper or online questionnaires, or those without access to the needed technology may not gain benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You would interact with an animated talking character that uses voice, gestures, and pictures to guide you through symptom and quality-of-life questions. The team pairs these conversational agents with clear data visualizations so you can understand your own responses. The tools are built especially for people who find written questionnaires hard to use, including those with limited health literacy or mild cognitive problems. Researchers at Tufts will refine and test the tools with cancer patients to see if they improve how accurately symptoms are captured and understood.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help you report symptoms more accurately and view results in ways that improve communication with your care team.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have shown conversational agents can work well for behavioral interventions and substance-use screening, but using them specifically to improve individual-level PRO interpretation in cancer is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Paasche-Orlow, Michael — Tufts Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Paasche-Orlow, Michael
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.