Pink Bot Campaign
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Pink Bot Campaign Using Artificial Intelligence Introduced For Bread Cancer Awareness

It is not too late for identification. Dr. P Guhan & his group launched a campaign called ‘pink bot’ that employs AI (Artificial Intelligence) for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A simple ‘Hi’ in WhatsApp is all you need. Replies are almost instant as you will be addressing a pink bot and not a human. This digital awareness bot is pretty efficient and fast. It quickly lists topics on breast cancer like risk factors, its early detection to therapeutic measures, and early signs. Director of SRIOR (Sri Ramachandra Institute of Oncology & Research), Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, Dr. P Guhan stated that one can select either English or Tamil. The bot replies to all questions related to breast cancer using AI.

Pink Bot Campaign
Dr. P Guhan launches a digital awareness bot during international breast cancer awareness day in Coimbatore. Image Credits: Periasamy M

This chat module (pink bot) used in WhatsApp to address the questions associated with breast cancer is one of the recent projects by Dr. P Guhan & his group to spread the word on it.  It has been introduced to align with the worldwide celebrated yearly campaign referred to as the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in the month of October to spread the word about the consequences of breast cancer.

Dr. Guhan explained that the pink ribbon represents awareness of breast cancer. In other nations, hotels, railway stations, and airports are adorned with pink lights and matches & tournaments are organized during the same month.

Chat, Listen Or Watch

The doctor, who has launched numerous online campaigns employing websites, animated videos, ebooks, and apps for the last 20 years, mentioned that participants use pink bands to convey moral support for affected women with breast cancer. Also, in India, they believed that the WhatsApp campaign would make an immediate effect and reach.

Digital Awareness Bot
Image Credit: Periasamy M

In order to make the digital awareness bot more interactive, the pink bot uses two URL options: one that directs the user to a website containing animated videos and another Bluetooth URL that provides information in the form of audio. Scientists at SRIOR developed the model in a way that it combines all aspects on a single stage and users can conveniently choose to watch, listen, or chat to stay aware. It even has videos that feature the survivors’ stories.

Dr. Guhan remarked that the number of affected women is increasing steadily and early diagnosis is the answer to this crisis. 28 women in 1 lakh are detected with breast cancer in Coimbatore, India, which is the 2nd highest rate following Chennai with 50 affected women in 1 Lakh.

He admitted that there is still a major concern related to the disease and individuals look for medical advice only when the condition is serious. In India, over 50% positive cases are reported for stage IV and stage III levels and therefore the survival rate is just 60%. Whereas in Western nations, over 80% of cases are identified for an early stage condition & the survival rate is more than 90%.

Dr. Guhan commented that the cancer detection among younger women belonging to the 30-40 age group has elevated from 2% to 4% in the past 25 years, whereas for the 30-40 age group, the rise is from 7& to 16%. He advised that alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, excessive body weight, late menopause, and early menarche are the risk factors. Even though 10% of the positive cases are due to hereditary conditions, more than 90% are due to the risk factors that are alterable and can be addressed by changing lifestyle. They have to know how to take precautions and identify the relevant risk factors.

Dr. Guhan mentioned that women aged 40 and above must check with a mammogram yearly. If diagnosed early, patients can avoid chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Dr. Guhan claimed that any person above 20 years can begin self-examination of breasts to check for any lumps. After crossing 30 years, they can undergo a clinical examination.

Even nowadays, people stay clear of mammograms due to fear. He assured that cancer or breast cancer diagnosis doesn’t determine the life span.

Source

Pink Bot Campaign


Further Read: Experts Mention That Covid Pandemic Has Reached Endemic Phase In India