Digital pathology implementation in cancer diagnostics: towards informed decision-making

Abstract

Digital pathology (DP) has become a part of the cancer healthcare system, creating additional value for cancer patients. DP implementation in clinical practice provides plenty of benefits but also harbors hidden ethical challenges affecting physician-patient relationships. This paper addresses the ethical obligation to transform the physician-patient relationship for informed and responsible decision-making when using artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools for cancer diagnostics. DP application allows to improve the performance of the Human-AI Team shifting focus from AI challenges towards the Augmented Human Intelligence (AHI) benefits. AHI enhances analytical sensitivity and empowers pathologists to deliver accurate diagnoses and assess predictive biomarkers for further personalized treatment of cancer patients. At the same time, patients’ right to know about using AI tools, their accuracy, strengths and limitations, measures for privacy protection, acceptance of privacy concerns and legal protection defines the duty of physicians to provide the relevant information about AHI-based solutions to patients and the community for building transparency, understanding and trust, respecting patients' autonomy and empowering informed decision-making in oncology.