AI to personalise rectal cancer treatment

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to treatment for rectal cancer. For some people, radiotherapy will work best, but others might need to have surgery to remove their rectum and anus.

The problem is, we can’t yet predict what treatment will work best for a particular person. Taking a sample of the tumour, known as a biopsy, can provide some information, but these can be painful and invasive.

Professor Campbell Roxburgh at the University of Glasgow wants to solve this problem by using artificial intelligence (AI).

Funded by SU2C, he’s developing a non-invasive tool to help doctors determine the best treatment for patients with rectal cancer. This could help some people avoid painful biopsies and major surgery.

Professor Campbell’s multidisciplinary team will look at huge amounts of biological data from people with rectal cancer alongside their clinical information like what treatments they had and whether they were successful. By using advanced AI algorithms, they hope to spot clues that the human eye can’t see and develop a tool to help doctors decide on a treatment plan for their patients.

This research could help people with rectal cancer receive more personalised and effective treatment, saving lives and improving people’s quality of life.

Professor Campbell Roxburgh

I’m inspired by the patients I see every day. Thanks to Stand Up To Cancer, I can also do this research that could help more people with rectal cancer live better lives in the future.

Researcher:

Professor Campbell Roxburgh 

Location:

University of Glasgow   Funding:

£505,414 

Dates:

March 2024 – February 2028