How Ask Cancer Explained works

What it is

Ask Cancer Explained is an educational assistant. You type a question in your own words, and it responds with a clear, plain-language explanation. It is powered by a custom OpenAI-based assistant that we configure with strict instructions about what it can and cannot do.

Where answers come from

When you ask a question, the assistant first retrieves relevant passages from CancerExplained.org — our plain-language explanations of National Cancer Institute content — along with links to trusted NCI / Cancer.gov pages. It then uses those grounded passages to write a supportive, easy-to-read answer, and shows you the sources so you can read further.

What it will always do

• Explain cancer topics in plain language.
• Point to Cancer Explained articles and NCI / Cancer.gov resources.
• Encourage you to talk with a qualified healthcare professional.
• Say clearly when it does not know something.
• Refuse requests that would require personal medical advice.

What it will never do

It will not diagnose, recommend or rank treatments, estimate prognosis, interpret your personal test results, tell you whether you have cancer, or act as a substitute for a doctor. For urgent concerns it will point you to urgent or emergency care. You can read the full list on the Safety & limits page.

Coming soon

We’re building toward richer retrieval from Cancer Explained articles and NCI sources, conversation export, Spanish-language support, voice input, read-aloud, and a large-text reading mode. Some of these appear as placeholders in the interface today.