IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026
Session : 19/05/26 - Posters
Optimizing Oral Oncology Education in France: Strategy for the Validation and National Adaptation of the ONCOllab Digital Platform
MARET COMTESSE D. 1, VIGARIOS E. 2, VILLA A. 3, SONIS S. 4, WATSON E. 5, SAUNDERS D. 6
1 Department of Dental Surgery, Université de Toulouse, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, Institut Universitaire du cancer Toulouse-Oncopole, Laboratoire CAGT, Toulouse, France, Toulouse, France; 2 Université de Toulouse, Oncopole Claudius Regaud, Institut Universitaire du cancer Toulouse-Oncopole, France., Toulouse , France; 3 Department Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Divisions of Oral Medicine and Dentistry, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Divisions of Oral Medicine and Dentistry, Brigham and Women's Ho, Boston , United States; 4 Oral Medicine, Oral Oncology and Dentistry. Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida, Miami, FL, USA, Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, San Francisco, United States; 5 Department of Dental Oncology/Faculty of Dentistry, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Toronto, Canada; 6 North East Cancer Center, Health Sciences North, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, ON, Canada, Sudbury, Canada
Background: Cancer therapies frequently induce severe oral toxicities—such as oral mucositis, xerostomia, and medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ)—which significantly diminish patient quality of life and can jeopardize oncological outcomes. Despite the World Health Organization’s mandate of "no health without oral health," a systemic gap remains in integrating oral care into comprehensive oncology pathways. The historical absence of specific guidance suggests that oral health is often overlooked, even within established health systems.
Objectives: This project presents the implementation strategy for ONCOllab, a digital application developed by the FDI World Dental Federation and the International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO) to equip cancer care teams with evidence-based management strategies. We aim to describe the methodology for national optimization of this tool within the French healthcare system, focusing on expert-led linguistic validation and alignment with national clinical guidelines.
Methods: The implementation strategy leverages ONCOllab as a central tool for workforce capacity-building in oral oncology care. Our approach, informed by the DECODE framework for digital health competencies, positions ONCOllab as an institutional platform supporting workforce development in oral oncology—moving beyond traditional didactic training models.
A critical assessment of the current French version—generated via AI-based automatic translation—is being conducted to ensure clinical safety and professional adherence. The validation protocol follows a systematic multimodal approach:
- Automated precision metrics: BLEU and BERTScore evaluation of the AI-generated baseline
- Expert clinical review will assess translation quality for fluency, adequacy, and clinical accuracy using anchored Likert scales
- National guideline alignment: Systematic comparison with French supportive care recommendations to ensure institutional protocol compatibility.
Results: The validation process, initiated in late 2025, is currently underway. Preliminary framework assessment confirms that ONCOllab provides a robust functional baseline for capacity-building initiatives. Initial automated metrics reveal that while AI translation performs well overall, specialized terminological nuances in oral oncology require expert validation—consistent with recent findings on machine translation limitations in highly specialized medical domains. The expert panel will systematically refine the French version to ensure optimal professional adherence and seamless integration with national clinical pathways.
Conclusions and implications: The validation of ONCOllab for the French healthcare system represents a strategic approach combining international expert consensus with national clinical adaptation. By ensuring linguistic accuracy and protocol alignment, this initiative will provide French cancer care teams with a validated, evidence-based tool to prioritize oral health throughout the oncological continuum. As a pioneering digital health platform in oral oncology, ONCOllab addresses the contemporary necessity for integrating oral care competencies into comprehensive cancer management, ultimately contributing to improved outcomes for cancer survivors.