How Big Data Can Help You & the Lung Cancer Community: Part 2

As with Uber and Waze, a robust repository depends on engagement from the lung cancer community. Without the engaged Waze users reporting literal bumps in the road, the Waze app would not be as wildly successful as it is. In the same way, the lung cancer community will not benefit from widespread shared data and experiences without meaningful engagement in the process.

Learn from other people's experiences

“People with lung cancer starting their journey, trying to figure this stuff out and others have trod that road before. They’re coming in and trying to find the best route, so why not use the data from everyone else who has already been there.

“We see it in transportation, we see it in industries like online banking,” says Spiegel. “It’s really about harnessing information and using it to make better decisions. It ultimately leads to more peace of mind for patients.”

Big data in healthcare

Peer Medical is not unique in understanding the potential of big data. CancerLinQ, ASCO’s physician-led big data oncology initiative in oncology, IBM Watson, Tempus and many others organizations are tapping into the powerful insights medical data provides.

“There are a lot of companies working on these kinds of problems because data is so critical,” says Spiegel. “It’s definitely important that not only Peer Medical, but all these other organizations move this forward,” says Spiegel. “One of the key components of our message is sharing. It’s in the best interest of everyone, for the greater good, for everyone to share. The more companies doing it, the better, because there’s so much work to be done.”

Benefits of Peer Medical

While Peer Medical is not unique in unlocking the power of big data and crowdsourcing, the company stands out from the others in several ways. First, when a lung cancer patient shares their medical records with Peer Medical, that patient then has full access to the Peer Medical database, unlike the many of the other big data companies.

Also, other companies expect patients to donate their medical records with no financial reward, even though that organization will sell patient data for big bucks.

More importantly, patients and researchers reap the benefit of shared data in both the short term and long term.

How can advocates play a role?

Advocates and advocacy organizations will play a vital role in advancing crowdsourcing in the lung cancer community.

“The role of advocacy groups is to help patients and survivors,” says Spiegel. “They bring comfort to those who are newly diagnosed and try to solve some of the confusing elements out there. LiveLung is a great community of folks. Big data can’t replace the community that’s created by LiveLung, by LUNGevity, by Go2, by any of the advocacy groups that are really creating a personal face-to-face interaction. But they can educate the survivors and patients facing these challenges and point them in the direction of the tools and services that can help them. This is one of those tools.

“Advocacy groups are not necessarily technology companies, so I think it’s better to create an environment where everyone works together. Where technology companies work on technology and advocacy groups work on finding what those best technologies are and to connect people.”

Read more about Peer Medical in How Big Data Can Help You & the Lung Cancer Community: Part 3.