AI-powered radiotherapy planning for cervical and head and neck cancer
ARCHERY: Artificial Intelligence based Radiotherapy treatment planning for Cervical and Head and Neck cancer
This project uses artificial intelligence to create faster, accurate radiotherapy plans for people with cervical or head and neck cancer so more patients can get timely treatment.
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 ID | NIH-11399428 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would receive radiotherapy planned with AI software that automatically outlines tumors and nearby organs on CT images and proposes beam shapes and settings. The team will run a prospective, non-randomized study enrolling about 706 patients (about 353 per cancer type) to compare AI-generated plans with usual planning workflows. They will measure plan quality, treatment safety, and the time and cost needed to produce plans, with a focus on sites in low- and middle-income countries. The goal is to shorten planning time from weeks to less than a day while keeping care safe and effective.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with cervical cancer or head and neck cancer who are scheduled to receive curative radiotherapy at participating clinical centers would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People with cancers outside the targeted sites, those not receiving radiotherapy, or patients needing highly individualized plans due to prior radiation or complex anatomy may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make accurate radiotherapy faster and more widely available, especially in low-resource settings.
How similar studies have performed: Technical studies have shown AI can speed up contouring and planning and often match expert plans, but prospective clinical and economic evidence in low-resource settings is still limited.
Where this research is happening
London, United Kingdom
- University College London — London, United Kingdom (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aggarwal, Ajay — University College London
- Study coordinator: Aggarwal, Ajay
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 below.