MYRTO evolves: from information to meaningful navigation

The new version of MYRTO, Kapa3’s digital assistant for people affected by cancer and their caregivers, is now live.

This update is more than a technical upgrade. It represents another step towards a different model of digital support: moving from simply providing information to supporting understanding, guidance and navigation.

For people facing cancer, the challenge is not always a lack of information. Very often, the real difficulty is understanding which information applies to them and what they need to do next.

From information to the next step

The cancer journey involves much more than diagnosis and treatment. Patients and families may also need to navigate social rights and benefits, disability assessment, transportation, employment issues, psychosocial support and communication with multiple health and public services.

Information may be available, but it is often fragmented, complex or difficult to turn into action.

This is where navigation becomes essential.

It means supporting people to access, understand, evaluate and use the information they need.

MYRTO was developed with this principle in mind: transforming complex and fragmented information into guidance that is easier to understand and act upon.

What is new in MYRTO

The renewed version offers a more direct and accessible user experience.

Users can interact by text or voice, listen to responses, choose between Greek and English, and adjust text size. Suggested topics also help people who may not know how to begin or how to formulate their question.

Particular attention is given to the sources behind the information. MYRTO follows a source-grounded and human-supervised AI approach: Artificial Intelligence supports the retrieval and organisation of information, while reliability, transparency and human oversight remain central to its design.

Technology does not replace people

MYRTO is not a doctor and does not provide personalised medical advice. It does not replace social workers, psychologists, nurses or other healthcare professionals.

Its role is to reduce complexity, support orientation and help people move closer to the appropriate information, service or human support.

The same approach applies to caregivers, who often become care coordinators, information managers and navigators of rights and services. MYRTO is also designed with their needs in mind, recognising caregivers as an essential part of the cancer journey.

Accessibility, trust and data protection

At Kapa3, we believe that digital innovation is meaningful only when it remains accessible and inclusive.

For this reason, the renewed MYRTO places emphasis on plain language, voice interaction and features that can support people with different levels of digital and health literacy.

Users are also informed about the processing of their data and the use of Artificial Intelligence, with separate consent choices and the possibility to request data deletion.

Trust in a digital health tool is not only about the answers it provides. It is also about how it works, which sources it relies on and how it respects the people who use it.

“What do I need to do next?”

Perhaps this single question best captures the philosophy behind MYRTO:

“What do I need to do next?”

A person facing cancer should not have to know in advance which organisation is responsible, where the right information is located or which administrative process needs to be followed.

They should be able to express their need and receive guidance that is reliable, understandable, accessible and human-supported.

This is the direction of the renewed MYRTO.

From information to understanding.
From understanding to navigation.
And from navigation to the next step.

Find more :

https://kapa3-cag-rag-hybrid-deploy.onrender.com

 

Kapa3 joins PERIFORMANCE: From Information to Trust in Cancer Care

Kapa3 – Cancer Guidance Centre is pleased to announce that its proposal, “From Information to Trust: MYRTO Patient & Citizen Lab for Equal Access in Cancer Care,” has been selected for funding under the PERIFORMANCE Open Call for Bottom-Up Stakeholder Engagement Initiatives in Cancer Research & Care.

The initiative places patients, caregivers, healthcare and social care professionals, civil society organisations and local communities at the heart of the process, creating a participatory framework for the ethical, trustworthy and inclusive use of AI-enabled cancer navigation.

Putting patients and citizens at the centre

The project is closely linked to MYRTO, Kapa3’s AI-enabled digital social assistant designed to support people affected by cancer in navigating health, social care, administrative procedures and rights-related information.

PERIFORMANCE funding will not support the core technical development of MYRTO. Instead, the project will focus on building the participatory, educational and ethical layer around the tool, ensuring that its future development is shaped by the real needs, experiences and expectations of the people who will use it.

This approach reflects a key principle for Kapa3: technology should not replace human care. When designed responsibly, however, it can become a powerful tool for improving access, empowerment and equality.

From local communities to a national dialogue

The engagement pathway will include regional listening activities, a thematic focus on vulnerable and underrepresented groups, and a central MYRTO Patient & Citizen Lab in Athens.

Particular attention will be given to caregivers, older patients, migrants, people with disabilities, people with low health or digital literacy, socially vulnerable groups and people living far from specialised oncology services.

The Athens Lab will be integrated into Kapa3’s national conference “Equality in Access”, creating a space for synthesising regional experiences, identifying trust criteria and collecting patient and caregiver perspectives on AI-supported navigation.

What does trust in AI-supported cancer navigation mean?

At the heart of the project lies a fundamental question:

What does a person need in order to trust a digital tool during one of the most sensitive periods of their life?

Through co-creation and stakeholder engagement, the initiative will explore issues such as:

  • reliability and clarity of information,
  • data protection and privacy,
  • accessibility and digital inclusion,
  • responsible use of Artificial Intelligence,
  • prevention of bias and exclusion,
  • human oversight,
  • and clear referral pathways to appropriate professionals when human support is needed.

Bringing together science, civil society and lived experience

Kapa3 will coordinate the initiative and lead its design, implementation, facilitation, patient and community outreach, dissemination and reporting.

The project will be supported by a multidisciplinary academic and scientific collaboration network involving the International Hellenic University – Department of Nursing, University of West Attica – Department of Occupational Therapy, Democritus University of Thrace – Department of Social Work, and University of the Peloponnese – Department of Nursing. simasiaAI will provide technical support for MYRTO-related digital materials and the AI navigation environment.

The project is expected to produce practical resources including a Patient Guidance Toolkit, a Trust & Human Escalation Checklist, a Training and Dissemination Package, and an Engagement & Trust Report.

From information to trust

For Kapa3, participation in PERIFORMANCE marks another step towards ensuring that the patient voice is present not only when new services and technologies are evaluated, but from the very beginning of their design.

With MYRTO, the question is no longer simply:

“How can we provide more information?”

It is increasingly:

“How can we turn information into understanding, trust, safety and real access?”

Because responsible digital health innovation begins with people.