Applications of large language models in cancer care: current evidence and future perspectives

Giovanni Maria Iannantuono; Dara Bracken-Clarke; Charalampos S Floudas; Mario Roselli; James L Gulley; Fatima Karzai

doi:10.3389/fonc.2023.1268915

Applications of large language models in cancer care: current evidence and future perspectives

Front Oncol. 2023 Sep 4:13:1268915. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1268915. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Giovanni Maria Iannantuono^{1

2}, Dara Bracken-Clarke³, Charalampos S Floudas³, Mario Roselli², James L Gulley³, Fatima Karzai¹

Affiliations

¹ Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.
² Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
³ Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.

Abstract

The development of large language models (LLMs) is a recent success in the field of generative artificial intelligence (AI). They are computer models able to perform a wide range of natural language processing tasks, including content generation, question answering, or language translation. In recent months, a growing number of studies aimed to assess their potential applications in the field of medicine, including cancer care. In this mini review, we described the present published evidence for using LLMs in oncology. All the available studies assessed ChatGPT, an advanced language model developed by OpenAI, alone or compared to other LLMs, such as Google Bard, Chatsonic, and Perplexity. Although ChatGPT could provide adequate information on the screening or the management of specific solid tumors, it also demonstrated a significant error rate and a tendency toward providing obsolete data. Therefore, an accurate, expert-driven verification process remains mandatory to avoid the potential for misinformation and incorrect evidence. Overall, although this new generative AI-based technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of medicine, including that of cancer care, it will be necessary to develop rules to guide the application of these tools to maximize benefits and minimize risks.

Keywords: ChatGPT; artificial intelligence; cancer care; chatbot; large language models.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research. The interpretation and reporting of these data are the sole responsibility of the authors.