Turning tragedy to target: How a son's fight for his mother led to an AI-lifeline for cancer patients

“You have three months. Live with love, care, and family.” That’s what Gaurav Kumar was told at a leading hospital in Mumbai, where he visited with his mother’s medical reports in 2023. She survived for two years. “That doctor didn’t say anything else. My mother had Stage IV gallbladder cancer. I was numb,” Kumar, 28, told TOI. “I came back to Delhi, consulted another doctor who helped streamline the treatment, and it helped.”This personal tragedy sparked a professional mission. Seeking to bridge a massive gap in Indian healthcare, Kumar and his engineering batchmate, Shubham Shreyas, co-founded Oncovault under their startup, BigOHealth. The AI-powered app is designed to help patients navigate the complex journey of cancer treatment.Kumar points to a stark disparity in Indian oncology: while the country accounts for 18% of global cancer cases, only 2% of patients participate in clinical trials. “In tier 2, tier 3 towns, people don’t have access to specialised healthcare. I have come across at least three cases in which the treatment was flawed,” Kumar explained. By allowing patients in small towns to upload medical reports and connect with specialists via phone, Oncovault brings expert advice to underserved regions.Kumar’s own experience at a Delhi hospital underscored the inconsistencies in medical advice. While one doctor dismissed surgery as an option, another at the same hospital recommended it. “Families panic when they are told about cancer. Their anxiety makes them blind to make a conscious choice,” Kumar noted. “When I was given three months, I had panicked too, but a second opinion helped me.”Cancer treatment frequently generates a paper trail exceeding 1,000 pages. Oncovault leverages AI to process this data into actionable insights. Kumar explains, “AI ensures only legitimate documents and medical images are uploaded, the platform analyses patient data to find the most compatible oncologists, AI generates a summary of the case history, saving doctors vital time during consultations.” Doctors always have the option to review the source data if they wish to verify the AI-generated summary, he added.In Stage III or IV cases, where cancer has impacted multiple organs, a single perspective doesn’t help. “You need a medical oncologist, a surgical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, a palliative care specialist, etc. This is where we come into the picture,” Kumar said. “Oncovault’s medical board assembles these various specialists to collaborate and suggest the most accurate course of treatment.”Kumar claims the AI model has been rigorously tested using consented data from thousands of patients via partner hospitals. Beyond individual care, Kumar hopes to provide govt with high-level medical data to improve public health strategy. “With 70% to 80% of cancer cases currently diagnosed at advanced stages (III and IV), our goal is to analyse this data to provide govt with actionable insights. We aim to identify specific cancer trends based on regional geography, gender, and age demographics,” he said.The impact of this work is best reflected in personal victories. Last year, Kumar and his partner spent days at a Delhi hospital helping a teenage patient whose family had been told to arrange an air ambulance to go back home. By connecting her to the right specialists, her health improved. “The girl is doing fine now. Our birthdays fall around the same time, so we celebrated them together,” Kumar said with a smile.