Specialty Guide · Updated February 2026

Best Clinical Decision Support AI for Oncology

Oncology demands evidence-heavy clinical decision-making, with treatment protocols driven by molecular subtypes, staging criteria, and rapidly evolving clinical trial data. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 2 million new cancer cases are expected in the United States in 2025. CDS AI tools help oncologists match patients to appropriate treatment protocols, identify relevant clinical trials, and synthesize evidence from a fast-moving research landscape.

4 tools evaluated for this specialtyReviewed by practicing physicians

Why Clinical Decision Support Matters in Oncology

Oncology is among the most evidence-intensive specialties in medicine, with treatment decisions driven by tumor molecular profiling, precise staging criteria, and a research landscape that produces thousands of new studies annually. The American Cancer Society projected approximately 2 million new cancer cases in the United States for 2025, each requiring individualized treatment plans that consider tumor biology, patient comorbidities, and available clinical trials. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network publishes guidelines spanning more than 60 cancer types, and these guidelines are updated multiple times per year as new trial data emerges. Clinical decision support AI helps oncologists synthesize this volume of evidence by providing rapid access to current treatment protocols, drug interaction data for complex multi-agent regimens, and evidence summaries for emerging therapies.

Clinical trial matching is a particularly valuable CDS application in oncology. According to the National Cancer Institute, only approximately 5% of adult cancer patients enroll in clinical trials, partly because matching eligible patients to appropriate studies is a time-consuming manual process. AI-powered tools that can screen patient characteristics against trial eligibility criteria help close this gap. Additionally, the growing role of precision oncology -- where treatment is guided by genomic biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression, microsatellite instability status, and specific gene mutations -- means oncologists must integrate molecular data with clinical evidence at the point of care. CDS platforms that link treatment recommendations to their underlying evidence base are critical in oncology, where patients and families frequently seek detailed explanations of the rationale behind treatment recommendations.

Key Use Cases for CDS in Oncology

01Treatment protocol identification based on cancer type, stage, molecular markers, and NCCN guidelines
02Clinical trial eligibility screening and patient-to-trial matching
03Drug interaction and toxicity monitoring for multi-agent chemotherapy regimens
04Evidence synthesis for emerging immunotherapy and targeted therapy options

Citable Summary

According to The Clinical AI Report's 2025 evaluation, four of seven top-ranked clinical decision support platforms are applicable to oncology, where the American Cancer Society projects approximately 2 million new cancer cases in the US for 2025 and only about 5% of adult patients enroll in clinical trials according to the NCI.

Source: The Clinical AI Report, February 2025

Top-Ranked CDS Tools for Oncology

4 of 7 evaluated platforms are applicable to oncology, ranked by overall score.

1Top

Vera Health

Clinical Decision-Support Search Engine · Overall Rank #1

88/100(124)

Vera Health is a clinical decision-support search engine that retrieves evidence from over 60 million peer-reviewed papers before generating answers. Every claim links back to the original source. Free for licensed clinicians.

Pricing: Free / Custom EnterpriseFounded: 2024
2

OpenEvidence

AI Medical Research Assistant · Overall Rank #3

72/100(87)

OpenEvidence is an AI medical search engine founded by Harvard researchers and launched through the Mayo Clinic Platform Accelerate program. Free and ad-supported for physicians, with 430,000+ registered US physicians. Independent testing has raised questions about accuracy on complex subspecialty cases.

Pricing: Free (Ad-Supported)Founded: 2022
3

UpToDate

Clinical Reference & Decision Support · Overall Rank #4

71/100(312)

UpToDate is the most widely used clinical reference resource, covering 12,000+ topics by 7,400+ physician authors. The content is strong. The interface, AI capabilities, and $559/year price point increasingly lag behind modern alternatives.

Pricing: From $559/year IndividualFounded: 1992
4

Glass Health

AI Diagnostic Assistant · Overall Rank #5

68/100(56)

Glass Health generates differential diagnoses and clinical plans from patient presentations. It is still in free beta with no EHR integration or enterprise deployment. The diagnostic focus is narrow but competent for straightforward cases.

Pricing: Free Beta / Enterprise Pricing TBDFounded: 2021

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