AI for cancer care team shortlisted for international award

Artificial intelligence (AI) could be set to improve decision-making in cancer care.

A team at the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton are being recognised for uniting on this challenge.

They have been shortlisted for an award by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

The team are using AI for multidisciplinary team (MDT) decision making in oesophageal cancer care.

With rising MDT caseloads and time pressures, their AI model could soon support healthcare professionals. It is designed to provide faster, reliable and equitable treatment decisions for cancer patients.

The project has grown to include a diverse team across the university-hospital partnership. This includes a network of collaborators from Oxford University Hospitals, University of Nottingham, University of Texas, as well as industry.

The work is led by Dr Ganesh Vigneswaran.

Award shortlisting

The project is known as REFORMIST. Its full title is Mirrored Decision Framework for Multidisciplinary Teams in Oesophageal Cancer.

Critically, the team have focused on developing trust in their AI solution. They have done this by using methods that are explainable and transparent. They have also involved key stakeholders from the outset, such as patient advocates from Heartburn Cancer UK.

The REFORMIST team are one of eight finalists for the IET Engineers in Society Award. This recognises engineering projects and teams worldwide that have made significant positive impacts on society.

This year’s winners will be announced at the IET Excellence and Innovation Awards Ceremony. This will be held on Wednesday 4th December in Birmingham.

Dr Vigneswaran is an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Interventional Radiology.

“It’s really exciting to see that our teamwork is being recognised,” he said.

“We celebrate the diversity and impact of our team. This encompasses specialists in oesophageal cancer research, surgery, radiology, computer sciences, public health, patient advocates and AI to tackle critical challenges faced by multidisciplinary teams to improve patient care.”

Developing a trusted system

The project was funded by the UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS) Hub. It ran from April 2023 to August 2024.

The team is now looking to deploy the AI model in ‘shadow mode’ at UHS later this year. It will run behind the scenes, and will not influence treatment decisions at this stage. The researchers will use this to measure the AI model’s performance in the real world.

Professor Gopal Ramchurn is TAS Hub Director and CEO of Responsible AI UK.

He said: “This project looked to integrate artificial intelligence into the cancer care process in a way that ensured it was trusted by the clinicians and patients alike.

“Oesophageal cancer is one of the worst cancers with very limited treatment options. We need to do our best to help patients recover and extend their quality of life. AI will play a key role in this in future.

“This award is a great recognition of the team effort led by Southampton researchers and the TAS Hub involving medics, computer scientists, and social scientists working together closely. I am very pleased for the team and for the TAS community at large.”