Attitudes Of Chinese Cancer Patients Toward The Clinical Use Of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a substantial role in many domains, including medical fields. However, we still lack evidence to support whether or not cancer patients will accept the clinical use of AI. This research aims to assess the attitudes of Chinese cancer patients toward the clinical use of artificial intelligence in medicine (AIM), and to analyze the possible influencing factors.

A questionnaire was delivered to 527 participants. Targeted people were Chinese cancer patients who were informed of their cancer diagnosis.

The effective response rate was 76.3% (402/527). Most cancer patients trusted AIMs in both stages of diagnosis and treatment, and participants who had heard of AIMs were more likely to trust them in the diagnosis phase. When an AIM's diagnosis diverged from a human doctor' s, ethnic minorities, and those who had received traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), had never received chemotherapy, were more likely to choose "AIM", and when an AIM's therapeutic advice diverged from a human doctor's, male participants, and those who had received TCM or surgery, were more likely to choose "AIM".

Most Chinese cancer patients believed in the AIM to some extent. Nevertheless, most still thought that oncology physicians were more trustworthy when their opinions diverged. Participants' gender, race, treatment received, and AIM related knowledge might influence their attitudes toward the AIM. Most participants thought AIM would assist oncology physicians in the future, while little really believed that oncology physicians would completely be replaced.