Artificial intelligence in breast cancer treatment

The University of Barcelona is leading a European project to clinically validate an Artificial Intelligence solution to predict the specific response of each patient in breast cancer chemotherapy. This is RadioVal, a project which counts on the participation of the UB and fifteen more universities and European health centres. It has received a funding of more than €5.8 million in the EU Horizon Europe programme.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. The new treatment protocols for this illness, such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy, provided good results in reducing mortality, but they cause important side effects and differences in the efficiency of the treatment depending on the patient. RadioVal’s goal is to validate an artificial intelligence solution that will help doctors identify patients who may respond better to chemotherapy, reducing the patient’s suffering due to the side effects.

The AI solution, built from radiological data (radiomics AI), will be tested in eight clinilcal centres around the world: three in the European Union (Spain, Austria and Sweden), two in emerging countries (Poland and Croatia), three in South America (Argentina), one in Africa (Egypt) and one in Eurasia (Türkiye). Not only its accuracy but also its technical robustness, clinical safety, applicability, ethical excellence and legal compliance will be validated.

This will be the first international validation of an AI-based radiological solution in breast cancer, which can be implemented by healthcare centres. RadioVal will consider the health and clinical needs, as well as the socio-ethical needs and existing legislation in the countries where it will be implemented.

RadioVal coordinator and Ramon y Cajal researcher at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the UB, Karim Lekadir, says that "RadioVal is an unprecedented opportunity to provide evidence of the clinical utility and applicability of artificial intelligence-based radiology in breast cancer treatment”.

The following institutions are participating in the project, which will start this September in Barcelona: Maastricht University (The Netherlands), Quibim S.L. (Spain), Foundation for Research and Technology (Greece), Maggioli Group (Italy), SHINE 2Europe (Portugal), Nordic Healthcare Group (Finland), University Hospital La Fe de Valencia (Spain), Karolinska Institute (Sweden), Medical University of Gdansk (Poland), Medical School of the University of Zagreb (Croatia), Medical University of Vienna (Austria), Hacettepe University Hospital (Türkiye), Alexander Fleming Institute (Argentina), Ain Shams University Hospital (Egypt) and the European Institute for Biomedical Research (Austria).

Image: RadioVal coordinator and Ramon y Cajal researcher at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of the UB, Karim Lekadir.