Outcomes4Me Aims to be ChatGPT for Cancer Care

“Data shows that 20% of patients today are getting the wrong treatment in oncology. So when we’re talking about that starting base, there’s a lot of willingness to try new things.” – Maya Said, CEO of Outcomes4Me

The Boston-based AI cancer care app Outcomes4Me just raised $21 million in funding, led by Salica Investments and joined by major players like Labcorp Venture Fund and Forecast Labs, bringing its total capital to $38 million. This raises an important question: can an app really change the cancer care experience?

For Dr. Maya Said, founder and CEO of Outcomes4Me, the answer is rooted in personal experience. “I had a health scare. And from one day to the other, I found myself to be a patient,” Said shared in an interview with The Health Pulse podcast. Despite being a scientist and healthcare executive, she struggled to make sense of her care options. “That time in between ‘something is suspicious’ to the time of final diagnosis, and then how to manage it was deeply overwhelming in ways I never anticipated… This is what led us to start Outcomes4Me.”

Outcomes4Me was designed to provide cancer patients with tools to understand their diagnosis, track symptoms, explore treatment options, access clinical trials, and connect with support services. It uses AI to turn complex clinical guidelines, such as those from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), into plain-language. 

“Once someone is diagnosed with cancer, they really only have two questions: What are my options? And how can I best manage my life?” Said explains. “The problem is, the burden of search falls on the patient: often at their most vulnerable moment. We’re using AI to change that.”

Cancer apps like Outcomes4Me are part of a larger movement to empower patients, with peers like LivingWith, Careology, and ACS CARES. These apps provide medication reminders, emotional support, and in some cases, improved outcomes like fewer doctor visits.

However, not all apps are created equal. In a review of 39 cancer-related apps, none were rated “excellent,” and most were only “acceptable.” Many lacked evidence-based content or overwhelmed users with confusing medical jargon. “Apps can become harmful when patients begin to read information outside the scope of their expertise,” cautions Dr. Hardeep Phull of Palomar Health to Cancer Therapy Advisor.

Maya Said acknowledges this challenge and sees it as an opportunity for Outcomes4Me. “(What ChatGPT did for AI) we want to do the same thing in healthcare“ she says, highlighting providing a conversational interface that gives patients access to up-to-date, personalized medical information.

Equitable, AI-Powered Guidance

Outcomes4Me’s platform is offered free to patients, something Said insists is critical to their mission of healthcare democratization. “A third of patients in the U.S. don’t get the genomic testing they need. A quarter don’t receive the most advanced treatments. So that creates disparities,” she said. She emphasizes that without equitable access to information and innovation, we risk worsening healthcare disparities.

While the AI and new therapies offers hope, Said warns that innovation must be accompanied by access and transparency. “Only one person loses, If they don’t get the right drug at the right time, and that’s the patient.”

With their funding, Outcomes4Me plans to scale globally, deepen its AI capabilities, and expand Outcomes4Me’s AI-driven cancer navigation platform across more cancer types, regions, and partnerships, such as the one with Biovica earlier this year.

Dr. Said is hopeful about the progress of cancer care. “I fundamentally believe that we are within reach to really doing a major change in how we treat cancer and the impact it has on our lives,” Said said.