Privacy Policy for Cancer Clinical Trial Finder GPT

Last Updated: 11/8/2025
 

1. Introduction

The Cancer Clinical Trial Finder GPT (“the GPT,” “the tool,” “we,” or “us”) is an informational support tool designed to help patients, caregivers, and clinicians explore publicly available clinical trial options using data from sources such as ClinicalTrials.gov and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

This tool is not a covered entity or business associate under HIPAA, and it is not intended for diagnosis, treatment, or medical decision-making.
Do not submit sensitive medical information unless you choose to. If you do, see Section 4 below.

By using this tool, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

a. Information You Directly Provide

Users may voluntarily provide the following information to the GPT:

• Cancer diagnosis or suspected diagnosis
  
  

• Tumor type, biomarkers, stage, grade
  
  

• Prior treatments or surgeries
  
  

• ECOG performance status
  
  

• Symptoms, demographics, and travel preferences
  
  

• Uploaded text such as clinic notes, pathology reports, imaging summaries, or lab results
  
  

This information may constitute Protected Health Information (PHI).
You should only share information you are comfortable including in an AI-generated response.

b. Automatically Processed Information

The GPT receives:

• Non-identifying usage statistics through OpenAI
  
  

• Error logs related to action calls (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov API responses)
  
  

• Limited metadata required to operate the tool
  
  

We do not receive or store IP addresses, device IDs, or identifiable tracking data beyond what OpenAI collects under its own Privacy Policy.

3. How Your Information Is Used

The GPT processes information in real time solely to:

• Generate a clinical trial search
  
  

• Match your inputs to public trial eligibility criteria
  
  

• Provide explanations or education
  
  

• Improve accuracy of responses within your current session
  
  

Your data is not used for model training unless you have explicitly opted into OpenAI’s data-sharing settings.

4. PHI Handling, Safety, and HIPAA Disclaimer

This tool is not HIPAA-compliant and should not be used as a substitute for care coordinated by a HIPAA-covered medical provider.

Important points:

• No PHI is stored by the GPT after your session ends.
  
  

• No PHI is shared with any entity other than OpenAI (the platform running the GPT).
  
  

• OpenAI is not acting as a Business Associate, and therefore this tool does not meet HIPAA’s administrative, technical, or physical safeguard requirements.
  
  

• You are responsible for deciding what personal or health information to provide.
  
  

If you upload clinical documents (e.g., progress notes or pathology reports), they are processed ONLY to extract relevant trial-matching information and are not retained afterward by the GPT.

5. Third-Party Data Sources

The GPT retrieves clinical trial information from public databases, including:

• ClinicalTrials.gov API (NIH)
  
  

• NCI Clinical Trials Search API
  
  

These APIs may log standard server metadata (e.g., timestamps, IP geolocation), but no PHI is intentionally sent to these services unless voluntarily provided by the user in search terms.

We do not control the privacy practices of these external services; refer to their respective privacy statements.

6. Data Retention

We do not store or retain:

• Personal information
  
  

• Medical documents
  
  

• Uploaded files
  
  

• Clinical details
  
  

• Trial search histories
  
  

All user-provided information is processed ephemerally and is deleted when your session ends.

OpenAI may store conversation transcripts as described in its Privacy Policy, unless you have disabled chat storage in your OpenAI account settings.

7. Security

We rely on OpenAI’s platform-level security controls.
We do not implement independent encryption, access controls, audit logs, or safeguard mechanisms as defined under HIPAA.
Avoid sharing identifying PHI unless absolutely necessary to perform your search.

8. Children’s Privacy

This tool is intended for individuals aged 18 and older.
We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

9. Clinical and Legal Disclaimer

This GPT:

• Does not diagnose, treat, or recommend medical actions
  
  

• Does not replace professional medical advice
  
  

• Does not guarantee clinical trial availability or eligibility
  
  

• Should be used only as an informational resource to discuss with your oncology team
  
  

Always consult your physician, cancer center, or clinical research coordinator for personalized guidance.

10. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or suggestions for improvement, please contact the tool’s creator through the OpenAI GPT Store profile page.