19th August 2026 by Sarah Thomas
In my day job, I’ve been experimenting with AI tools like Gemini to help reduce repetitive admin, freeing up time and energy in our small team for the work that really matters. Used well, these tools can make busy days feel a little more manageable.
It got me thinking: if these tools can help us at Make 2nds Count, how might they help people living with secondary breast cancer too? Not in a big, flashy way - and definitely not by replacing clinical advice - but by easing the mental load that comes with juggling appointments, life admin, medical jargon and constant decision-making.
This blog shares some safe ways people living with secondary breast cancer might choose to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot. It’s all about conserving energy so more of it can go towards the things that matter most to you.
ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot are examples of general-purpose AI assistants. You can think of them as a well-read librarian that can:
Take notes
Summarise long or complex information
Help you organise thoughts, lists, or plans
Translate text into other languages
Be your thinking partner on low-energy days
They don’t have access to your medical records and they are not clinicians. They work by responding to what you type (called a prompt), using patterns they have learned from large amounts of text. The quality and safety of what you get back depends heavily on how you ask the question and what boundaries you set.
When living with secondary breast cancer, your physical and emotional safety matters. These tools are best used to:
Understand information you’ve been given by a healthcare professional
Prepare for appointments
Reduce admin and mental load
Help you communicate difficult things with others
They should not be used to:
Choose or compare treatments
Predict prognosis or life expectancy
Replace advice from your clinical team
A good rule of thumb: AI can help you ask better questions, not give you final answers.
Clinic letters, scan reports and medical journals are often written for professionals, not patients. You can use AI tools to explain medical terms in plain English or highlight key points and next steps.
Example prompt:
“Please explain this clinic letter in plain English, without adding new information. I’m living with secondary breast cancer and feeling tired.”
This can be especially helpful if you want to check your understanding, find a way to explain it to a loved one or feel more confident asking follow-up questions.
Appointments can feel rushed, and it’s easy to forget what you wanted to ask. AI tools can help you turn worries into clear questions, organise your thoughts by topic (symptoms, scans, medication) and create a short list you can take with you or keep on your phone.
Example prompt:
“Help me turn these notes into clear questions for my oncologist. Don’t suggest treatments - just help with wording.”
This can be particularly useful on days when anxiety or fatigue makes thinking clearly harder.
Many people say they forget what happened during their consultation once they get home. More and more people are using voice notes to record audio during their appointments (with consent). If you have notes or a transcription from a recorded consultation AI tools can:
Summarise what was discussed
Pull out key points and next steps
Help you write a short summary for yourself or someone you trust
This can reduce the pressure to remember everything perfectly in the moment.
Repeating the same information - especially when emotions are raw - can be exhausting. AI tools can help you draft a clear, factual update, adjust the tone (neutral, gentle, brief) or create one message you can share with several people.
Example prompt:
“Help me write a short update about my current treatment that I can share with family. Keep it factual and calm, I don’t want them to worry.”
You stay in control of what you share, how much, and when.
If English isn’t your first language - or if a loved one needs information in another language - AI tools can help translate appointment summaries, NHS or charity information. Accuracy really matters so it’s safest to:
Start with trusted sources
Keep translations simple
Double-check key details
By default, AI tools don’t know which sources you trust. But you can tell them. This is especially important when living with secondary breast cancer.
Example prompts:
“Explain secondary breast cancer using information from UK charity websites and the NHS.”
“Summarise NICE guidance on managing side effects of hormone therapy, without adding advice.”
“Help me understand this term using NHS language, not US sources.”
This keeps the information grounded and relevant to the UK context.
AI tools can be incredibly helpful for reducing mental load, simplifying admin, saving vital energy and helping you feel a little more steady in a complex system. However, they are not a replacement for emotional support, peer connection, or conversations with your clinical team.
If a question feels too frightening, too personal, or leads to worst-case thinking, it is often a sign that this is better discussed with a trusted person rather than AI. Use AI tools to lighten the load, but let human connection carry the burden.
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