AI-guided radiation planning for cervical and head and neck cancers
Official title: ARCHERY: Artificial Intelligence based Radiotherapy treatment planning for Cervical and Head and Neck cancer
Funded at University College London · NIH-11399429 · Data updated 2026-11-12
AI software creates radiation treatment plans faster and with less staff for people with cervical or head and neck cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University College London NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (London, United Kingdom) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $6,111 |
| NIH project number | 3U01CA269143-03S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399429 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people scheduled to receive curative radiotherapy for cervical or head and neck cancer at the trial's participating clinical centers.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with cancers other than cervical or head and neck tumors, or those requiring highly individualized planning outside the AI's scope, may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project uses AI to automate two key steps in radiotherapy planning: outlining anatomy at risk and defining beam size and position, so plans can be ready in hours instead of weeks. You or others needing curative radiotherapy for cervical or head and neck cancer at participating centers will have CT scans processed by the AI and the AI-generated plans reviewed by clinicians. The non-randomized prospective study aims to enroll about 706 patients (353 per cancer type) to compare plan quality, timesaving, and economic impact of the AI workflow. The goal is to make safe, accurate radiotherapy planning more available in low- and middle-income countries where specialist staff are scarce.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could speed access to radiotherapy, reduce planning costs and staff needs, and expand treatment capacity in low- and middle-income countries.
How similar studies have gone: Previous pilot work on AI auto-contouring and automated planning has shown promising time savings and acceptable plan quality, but larger prospective trials are still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
University College London
London, United Kingdom Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aggarwal, Ajay — University College London
- Study coordinator: Aggarwal, Ajay
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
AI-powered radiotherapy planning for cervical and head-and-neck cancer
A computer program helps plan radiation therapy for cervical and head-and-neck cancer patients to make treatments faster and more accurate.
-
AI-powered radiotherapy planning for cervical and head-and-neck cancer
A United Kingdom study is testing AI software that helps plan radiotherapy for cervical and head-and-neck cancer patients to save time and reduce the workload for clinicians in low-resource settings.
-
AI-powered radiotherapy planning for cervical and head-and-neck cancer
A UK research team is testing an AI-based software to automatically outline cancer areas and plan radiation beams to speed up treatment for cervical and head-and-neck cancers in LMICs.
-
AI-Powered Radiotherapy Planning for Cervical and Head & Neck Cancer
A new AI tool helps plan radiation therapy for cervical and head-and-neck cancers to save time and reduce the need for specialized staff.
-
AI-powered radiotherapy planning for cervical and head-and-neck cancer
A UK study from University College London uses AI to plan radiotherapy for cervical and head-and-neck cancers to save time and reduce the need for specialized staff, aiming to help patients in LMICs.
-
AI-powered radiotherapy planning for cervical and head & neck cancer
A non-randomized study will test an AI system that helps plan radiotherapy for cervical and head & neck cancers to save time and resources in LMICs.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.