HORIZON-MISS-2026-02-CANCER-07: Improve the Quality of Life of older cancer patients

**SUMMARY
**We are a multidisciplinary team from Aalborg University Hospital and Aalborg University seeking to contribute to improving quality of life and treatment outcomes in older cancer patients (65+). We aim to develop an AI-based clinical decision support tool to enable personalised treatment, enabling better prediction and management of chemotherapy toxicity. This addresses a critical unmet need, as a substantial proportion of patients currently experience severe treatment-related toxicity. Using routinely collected imaging and clinical data, we contribute to more patient-centred and data-driven cancer care, aligned with the EU Cancer Mission—without adding burden for patients or caregivers.

WHO WE ARE
We are a multidisciplinary team from Aalborg University Hospital and Aalborg University, combining expertise in clinical oncology, medical imaging, and data science. The team has strong experience in CT-based body composition analysis, image-based biomarkers, predictive modelling and clinical research in oncology. We have direct access to high-quality multicentre clinical and imaging data, and we are embedded in clinical practice, enabling real-world testing and validation.

PROJECT IDEA

An AI-based clinical decision support tool to identify older cancer patients at high risk of severe chemotherapy toxicity prior to treatment initiation. The solution integrates automated analysis of diagnostic CT scans with clinical data to support risk stratification and personalised treatment planning, addressing a key limitation in current practice where up to 50% of patients experience severe chemotherapy toxicity. This enables clinicians to better balance treatment intensity with patient tolerance, functional status, and expected quality of life.

EXPECTED IMPACT/ADDED VALUE

The approach supports improved quality of life, patient safety, and functional outcomes by reducing treatment-related toxicity and enabling more appropriate, individualised care pathways. This improves treatment decision-making and reduces complications, contributing to more efficient use of healthcare resources and a more sustainable healthcare system.

OUR ROLE IN A PROJECT

We do not aim to lead this project but to act as a clinical partner and real-world testbed, contributing to the development of AI-based decision support tools, clinical validation in older cancer patients, and real-world implementation and workflow integration.

EXPECTED PARTNERS/STAKEHOLDERS

We are seeking a coordinator. Furthermore, we seek:

1.       Clinical and research partners working with cancer patients

2.       Universities and AI research groups in medical data science and predictive modelling

3.       Additional healthcare providers and hospitals for multicentre validation and broader implementation

4.       Industry partners with expertise in medical software, regulatory processes and scaling

5.       Patient organisations and ethics, legal and regulatory experts – to ensure patient-centred approaches and regulatory compliance

OUR ADDED VALUE AS PARTNER
We provide unique value as a partner through direct access to high-quality multicentre clinical and imaging data, as well as real-world oncology settings across hospital care pathways. As an embedded clinical testbed, we support prospective validation, real-world evaluation, and iterative refinement of solutions in routine oncology practice, including integration into clinical workflows and generation of structured end-user feedback. We collaborate closely with national healthcare providers, research institutions, and industry partners, supporting scalability, interoperability, and effective translation into clinical practice.

CONTACT DETAILS

Mathias Ellgaard Cook, RD, MSc, PhD
Postdoctoran Researcher of Department of Medical Gastroenterology, Aalborg University Hospital
m.cook@rn  dk · Phone: +45 61337024