Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
*Featured in this video:* Dr. Clifford Hudis, CEO, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
*Executive summary:* Oncologists need quick and easy access to deeply researched, evidence-based cancer treatment guidelines in order to provide the best care to their patients. However, conventional searches can be time-consuming and cumbersome. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), a global membership organization of more than 50,000 cancer care professionals, aimed to solve this challenge with the ASCO Guidelines Assistant. Built on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI), this agentic assistant allows physicians to ask questions in natural language and instantly surfaces specific answers grounded in ASCO's trusted guidelines. This has democratized access to high-quality cancer care information.
*Challenge:* ASCO produces evidence-based recommendations that outline appropriate methods of treatment and care that clinicians rely on for difficult questions, but getting this information to its global membership at the critical moment they need it can be challenging. Guidelines vary widely in length and format, creating a complex data ecosystem that’s difficult to search through manually. Conventional internet searches break clinical workflow when physicians need immediate answers, so ASCO set out to make it easier for doctors to find exactly what they need, when they need it, from a source they can trust.
*Solution:* Working with Google Cloud, ASCO created its Guidelines Assistant, a trusted knowledge source built on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI). The assistant allows physicians to ask questions in natural language through dictation or typing, instantly surfacing specific places in ASCO's guideline library that answer their questions. It only provides answers grounded in ASCO's source documents, which allows for greeting trust in the fact that information comes from vetted, evidence-based guidelines. ASCO is now collaborating with Google Cloud to create tools that shorten guideline production timelines.
*Result:* The ASCO Guidelines Assistant democratizes access to high-quality cancer treatment information globally. By unburdening clinicians from time-consuming information searches, the tool addresses the growing problem of physician burnout, allowing doctors to pivot back to face-to-face humanistic patient care. The project represents a critical stepping stone as the oncology community integrates AI throughout clinical workflows. With this greater efficiency in surfacing treatment guidelines, ASCO envisions a brighter future for cancer patients worldwide.
*Highlights and key takeaways from our interview with Dr. Clifford Hudis, CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO):*
→ “[The ASCO Guidelines Assistant] lets a doc ask, in natural language, and the guideline assistant will surface instantly for them the one specific or several specific places in our vast array of guidelines where we answer their question.”
→ “[The ASCO Guidelines Assistant] only will give answers that are grounded in our source documents, our guidelines, so the user can have confidence if they get an answer, it comes from a trusted source.”
→ “Our ultimate goal is to make it possible for a user to come to our website and find any content from any of our sources, and then be able to quickly use it in order to deliver higher quality care to their patients.”
*Google Cloud products used:* Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform
*Learn more:*
→ ASCO and Google Cloud Launch AI-Powered ASCO Guidelines Assistant
dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/asco-and-google-cloud-launch-ai-powered-asco-guidelines-assistant
*Featured in this video:* Dr. Clifford Hudis, CEO, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
*Executive summary:* Oncologists need quick and easy access to deeply researched, evidence-based cancer treatment guidelines in order to provide the best care to their patients. However, conventional searches can be time-consuming and cumbersome. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), a global membership organization of more than 50,000 cancer care professionals, aimed to solve this challenge with the ASCO Guidelines Assistant. Built on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI), this agentic assistant allows physicians to ask questions in natural language and instantly surfaces specific answers grounded in ASCO's trusted guidelines. This has democratized access to high-quality cancer care information.
*Challenge:* ASCO produces evidence-based recommendations that outline appropriate methods of treatment and care that clinicians rely on for difficult questions, but getting this information to its global membership at the critical moment they need it can be challenging. Guidelines vary widely in length and format, creating a complex data ecosystem that’s difficult to search through manually. Conventional internet searches break clinical workflow when physicians need immediate answers, so ASCO set out to make it easier for doctors to find exactly what they need, when they need it, from a source they can trust.
*Solution:* Working with Google Cloud, ASCO created its Guidelines Assistant, a trusted knowledge source built on Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform (formerly Vertex AI). The assistant allows physicians to ask questions in natural language through dictation or typing, instantly surfacing specific places in ASCO's guideline library that answer their questions. It only provides answers grounded in ASCO's source documents, which allows for greeting trust in the fact that information comes from vetted, evidence-based guidelines. ASCO is now collaborating with Google Cloud to create tools that shorten guideline production timelines.
*Result:* The ASCO Guidelines Assistant democratizes access to high-quality cancer treatment information globally. By unburdening clinicians from time-consuming information searches, the tool addresses the growing problem of physician burnout, allowing doctors to pivot back to face-to-face humanistic patient care. The project represents a critical stepping stone as the oncology community integrates AI throughout clinical workflows. With this greater efficiency in surfacing treatment guidelines, ASCO envisions a brighter future for cancer patients worldwide.
*Highlights and key takeaways from our interview with Dr. Clifford Hudis, CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO):*
→ “[The ASCO Guidelines Assistant] lets a doc ask, in natural language, and the guideline assistant will surface instantly for them the one specific or several specific places in our vast array of guidelines where we answer their question.”
→ “[The ASCO Guidelines Assistant] only will give answers that are grounded in our source documents, our guidelines, so the user can have confidence if they get an answer, it comes from a trusted source.”
→ “Our ultimate goal is to make it possible for a user to come to our website and find any content from any of our sources, and then be able to quickly use it in order to deliver higher quality care to their patients.”
*Google Cloud products used:* Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform
*Learn more:*
→ ASCO and Google Cloud Launch AI-Powered ASCO Guidelines Assistant
dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/asco-and-google-cloud-launch-ai-powered-asco-guidelines-assistant
