FIRST Cancer Care: Leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies for cancer care

The report identifies systemic gaps in India's cancer care, including a severe shortage of oncologists and fragmented data. It recommends a technology-led approach featuring an Oncology Data Model (ODM) and four 'Cancer Care Value Pathways' to improve early detection and patient outcomes through AI, telemedicine, and public-private partnerships.

• Cancer incidence in India is rising due to ageing, dietary changes, and tobacco use, with the total number of cases reaching 1.39 million in 2020 and projected to hit 1.57 million by 2025.
• India faces a critical shortage of specialized medical personnel; in 2018, the country had only one oncologist per one million people, compared to 161 in the United States.
• Financial barriers are significant, with over two-thirds of households using private sector care incurring out-of-pocket expenditures exceeding 20% of their annual per capita household expenditure.
• The report identifies a severe lack of standardized, interoperable data, noting that cancer is not a notifiable disease in most Indian states, which hinders real-time digital capture and research.
• To resolve data fragmentation, the report proposes an Oncology Data Model (ODM) to create a Master Record of Oncology (MRO) that follows a 'once only' data entry principle and aligns with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
• The strategy organizes interventions into four Cancer Care Value Pathways: Population Health, Health Professional Education, Provider, and Data pathways.
• Recommended technological interventions include AI-powered handheld devices for point-of-care testing, teleradiology for lung cancer detection, and telepathology for cervical cancer screening.
• The report suggests using AR, VR, and MR (mixed reality) to provide higher-order clinical skills training through experiential learning for health professionals.
• Proposed public-private partnership (PPP) models include 'overflow care' where private organizations treat public sector patients at public rates, and 'shared infrastructure' to utilize private diagnostic capacity.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). FIRST Cancer Care: Leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies for cancer care. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FIRST_Cancer_Care_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. FIRST Cancer Care: Leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies for cancer care. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FIRST_Cancer_Care_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=FIRST Cancer Care: Leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies for cancer care |date=February 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FIRST_Cancer_Care_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022first, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{FIRST Cancer Care: Leveraging Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies for cancer care}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FIRST_Cancer_Care_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }