ARTILLERY project: AI for early detection of chronic disease risks in breast cancer patients

ARTILLERY project: AI for early detection of chronic disease risks in breast cancer patients Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women, both at the EU and global level. Thanks to earlier detection and better treatments, survival rates have improved in most European countries, and most patients live long after diagnosis. However, breast cancer survivors, 80% of which are over 50 years old, are at higher risk of developing other health-related issues and diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), osteoporosis and weight gain. This is partly explained by the toxicity caused by treatments (chemotherapy and radiotherapy) and their side effects, as well as common risk factors that predispose to both breast cancer and other conditions.   The ARTILLERY project, funded under Horizon Europe, aims to make use of information about risk factors of these chronic diseases that can be extracted from computed tomography (CT) scans, which breast cancer patients undergo routinely. To do so, the project is developing and validating dedicated AI systems for automated early detection of these risk factors.    Covering CVDs risk in breast cancer patients, the CarDI trial is based on CT scans that are used to plan radiotherapy. These images show the level of calcification in the coronary artery (CAC), which is a marker for cardiovascular risk. Until now, clinicians have been trained to manually outline the relevant elements of the scans, which then allow to measure CAC. The manually annotated scans will be used as a reference point for the algorithm at each participating hospital. Involving clinicians in the process and comparing the AI-generated work with their own is crucial to build their understanding of and trust in the algorithm. So far, the trial has enrolled 65 out of 1000 participants (as of 21/09/2026).  The osteoporosis algorithm has been tested and is able to classify patients as having normal bone density, osteopenia or osteoporosis. This opens the way for its use in clinical practice. Relevant links  Breast cancer in the EU - JRC’s factsheet  Breast cancer burden and screening inequalities in Europe  European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer  Background  Horizon Europe is the research and innovation programme of the EU for the period 2021-2027. The aims of Cluster 1 ‘Health’ include improving and protecting the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating where relevant a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases. Horizon 2020 (H2020) was the EU’s multiannual funding programme between 2014 and 2020.