NIH-funded research U01 cooperative agreement

AI-guided radiotherapy planning for cervical and head and neck cancer

Official title: ARCHERY: Artificial Intelligence based Radiotherapy treatment planning for Cervical and Head and Neck cancer

Funded at University College London · NIH-11399433 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This project uses artificial intelligence to speed up and standardize radiation treatment planning for people with cervical or head and neck cancer, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

More Head and Neck Cancer research and trials

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity College London
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (London, United Kingdom)
Project startSeptember 1, 2022
Project endAugust 31, 2027
Funding year2025
Award (this year)$16,051
NIH project number3U01CA269143-03S6
Project IDNIH-11399433 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

People diagnosed with cervical or head and neck cancer who are scheduled to receive radiotherapy at a participating treatment center are the intended candidates.

Less likely to help

People who do not need radiotherapy, whose treatment centers cannot provide CT-based planning, or whose anatomy requires highly individualized manual planning may not benefit from this approach.

What this research studies

If you join, your CT scans will be processed by AI that outlines the tumor and nearby organs and suggests the radiation beam positions and shapes. Clinicians at participating hospitals will review and approve the AI-generated plans before treatment. The project will follow a total of 706 patients (353 with cervical cancer and 353 with head and neck cancer) to compare plan quality and the costs and time needed to make plans. The goal is to cut planning time from weeks to less than a day and reduce the workforce needed to deliver radiotherapy in resource-limited settings.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could make radiotherapy faster and more consistent, increasing timely access to curative treatment in places with limited specialist staff.

How similar studies have gone: Prior AI tools for contouring and planning have shown promising accuracy and time savings, but large prospective evaluations in low- and middle-income settings remain 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.

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.