(Press-News.org) PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic researchers have developed and evaluated MedEduChat, an electronic health record (EHR) that works with a large language model to provide accurate, patient-specific prostate cancer education.
The findings are published in Nature Portfolio Digital Medicine and highlight a new approach to delivering timely, individualized guidance for people navigating a prostate cancer diagnosis.
Cancer patients often face uncertainty as they process complex information about their diagnosis and treatment options. Limited time with clinicians can make it difficult for patients to receive the detailed answers they need to understand decisions that shape their care.
This MedEduChat study demonstrates how advanced AI, grounded in Mayo-validated clinical data, can help bridge these gaps by delivering clear, conversational explanations based on each patient's own health record.
Understanding the patient experience using AI
Fifteen prostate cancer patients interacted with MedEduChat for 20 to 30 minutes as part of a mixed-method usability study conducted at Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona and Minnesota.
Patients reported higher confidence after using the tool, with Health Confidence Scores increasing from 9.9 to 13.9 on a 16-point scale. Usability scores were also high; average survey responses ranked MedEduChat 83.7 out of 100.
Patients noted that MedEduChat helped them understand their diagnosis in a more accessible way. The tool provided relief by explaining unfamiliar or complex terms in a clear and concise manner.
The conversational format helped participants replace incorrect assumptions with medically accurate information derived from their own EHR.
Clinician-evaluated accuracy and safety
Wei Liu, Ph.D., a radiation oncology medical physicist, and three Mayo Clinic clinicians independently reviewed 85 anonymized question-and-response pairs. They rated MedEduChat's answers as highly correct (2.9 out of 3), complete (2.7 out of 3) and safe (2.7 out of 3).
Clinicians also noted strong patient-readiness and moderate personalization, reflecting MedEduChat's ability to tailor explanations to each person's age, treatment history and cancer stage.
Although MedEduChat delivered accurate and clinically aligned information, clinicians emphasized the importance of ongoing monitoring to prevent errors that could arise from incomplete or inconsistently documented EHR data.
The research team incorporated a multilayer approach to address these concerns and guide future system enhancements.
Combining patient-centered education with AI
MedEduChat was designed with a structured educational model that combines closed-domain clinical data, semi-structured guidance and personalized interaction.
Patients can explore diagnosis details, learn about treatment options and side effects, and review lifestyle considerations and follow-up expectations. The tool draws only from validated sources, such as Mayo Clinic materials and National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines.
"This research demonstrates how large language models can be safely and effectively integrated into real clinical systems to improve cancer education," according to Dr. Liu. "By combining advanced AI with Mayo Clinic's electronic health records, MedEduChat delivers personalized, accurate and easy-to-understand explanations tailored to each patient's medical history."
Expanding AI cancer research
The study team plans to translate this work into clinical use across all three Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Next steps include expanding MedEduChat beyond radiation oncology to additional cancer specialties. These efforts aim to make personalized AI-assisted education a routine part of cancer care.
This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for AI Research and Innovation, the Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation, and the Kemper Marley Foundation.
###
About Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is defining the cancer center of the future, focused on delivering the world's most exceptional patient-centered cancer care for everyone. At Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a culture of innovation and collaboration is driving research breakthroughs in cancer detection, prevention and treatment to change lives.
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.
END
New Mayo Clinic study advances personalized prostate cancer education with an EHR-integrated AI agent
2026-01-07
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Researchers identify novel therapeutic target to improve recovery after nerve injury
2026-01-07
Peripheral nerve injury reduces the ability of macrophages to clear dead or dying cells – a process known as efferocytosis – leading to chronic pain
Restoring efferocytosis ability reduced neuropathic pain in lab models
Efferocytosis is a potential therapeutic target for chronic neuropathic pain
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that targeting a specific immune process could help improve recovery after nerve injury and reduce chronic pain.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was led by Peter Grace, Ph.D., associate ...
Microbes in breast milk help populate infant gut microbiomes
2026-01-07
Most conversations about breast milk tend to focus on topics like nutrients, antibodies and bonding time rather than bacteria. But it turns out that human milk carries its own tiny community of microbes, and those passengers may help shape a baby’s developing gut microbiome — which in turn can impact nutrient absorption, metabolic regulation, immune system development, and more.
A new study published in Nature Communications provides one of the most detailed portraits yet of how different combinations of bacteria in human milk contribute to the assembly of infants’ ...
Reprogramming immunity to rewrite the story of Type 1 diabetes
2026-01-07
In the battle against type 1 diabetes (T1D), one researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is leading a bold new front. With $1 million in funding from Breakthrough T1D, the leading global T1D research and advocacy organization, Leonardo Ferreira, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Immunology, and his collaborators at partnering institutions will explore a new approach to treating – and potentially curing – the disease.
The team aims to reimagine how the immune system interacts with the pancreas by combining stem cell biology, immunology and transplantation science. The project’s goal is deceptively simple: to restore beta cell ...
New tool narrows the search for ideal material structures
2026-01-07
Princeton researchers have developed a new tool to speed the discovery of advanced materials known as metal organic frameworks, or MOFs.
MOFs are an emerging class of materials that form microscopic sponge-like structures with vast interior surface area. That quality promises to transform how society traps, absorbs and filters substances at the molecular level. The researchers say this could lead to better battery chemistry, more efficient carbon capture and improved access to clean water.
But scientists face a problem of choice. MOFs are highly modular, consisting of metal-ion nodes and organic molecules that link the nodes into large networks. The researchers say there ...
Artificial saliva containing sugarcane protein helps protect the teeth of patients with head and neck cancer
2026-01-07
An artificial saliva in the form of a mouthwash, produced with the CANECPI-5 protein extracted from sugarcane and modified in a laboratory, can aid in treating teeth in patients with head and neck cancer. In these cases, radiotherapy very close to the mouth can destroy salivary glands and compromise saliva production, which is essential for controlling bacteria and disease.
According to research conducted at the Bauru School of Dentistry at the University of São Paulo (FOB-USP) in Brazil, CANECPI-5 forms a protective “shield” for the teeth, guarding the enamel against weakening acids found ...
Understanding the role of linear ubiquitination in T-tubule biogenesis
2026-01-07
Transverse tubules (T-tubules) play significant role in muscle contraction. However, the underlying mechanism of their formation is yet to be elucidated. In a recent study, a research team from Japan used a Drosophila model to understand this process. The results show the involvement of LUBEL, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, in the T-tubule biogenesis. Beyond LUBEL’s role in immune response, the study reveals an unexpected function of linear ubiquitination in membrane deformation, driven by BAR-domain proteins.
Transverse tubules ...
Researchers identify urban atmosphere as primary reservoir of microplastics
2026-01-07
Over the past two decades, microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have been recognized as emerging pollutants, detected across every environmental compartment of the Earth's system—the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.
Their pervasive presence has drawn increasing attention from researchers focused on biogeochemical cycles and climate change. Significant gaps remain, however, in quantifying the stocks, sources, transformation, and fate of plastics, especially within the atmosphere, primarily due to analytical limitations ...
World’s oldest arrow poison – 60,000-year-old traces reveal early advanced hunting techniques
2026-01-07
Researchers have identified traces of plant poison from the South African plant gifbol on Stone Age arrowheads – the oldest known arrow poison in the world to date. The discovery, published in the scientific journal Science Advances, shows that 60,000 years ago, people in southern Africa had already developed advanced knowledge of toxic substances and how they could be used for hunting.
Researchers from South Africa and Sweden have found the oldest traces of arrow poison in the world to date. On 60,000-year-old quartz arrowheads from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, ...
Bristol scientists discover early sponges were soft
2026-01-07
Sponges are among earth’s most ancient animals, but exactly when they evolved has long puzzled scientists. Genetic information from living sponges, as well as chemical signals from ancient rocks, suggest sponges evolved at least 650 million years ago. The research is published today [7 January] in Science Advances.
This evidence has proved highly controversial as it predates the fossil record of sponges by a minimum of 100 million years. Now an international team of scientists led by Dr M. Eleonora Rossi, from the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, ...
New study uncovers how rice viruses manipulate plant defenses to protect insect vectors
2026-01-07
Planthoppers and leafhoppers not only feed on rice plants but also act as highly efficient vectors for plant viruses, causing substantial yield losses worldwide. Notably, their persistent ability to evade natural enemies is not merely a matter of chance—it is subtly reinforced by the plant viruses they carry.
A recent study led by Prof. ZHANG Xiaoming's team at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. Ian T. Baldwin's group at the CAS Center ...