Frequently Asked Questions
General information
-
What is the COMFORT project?
COMFORT is a research project funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe program. The project aims to develop and test artificial intelligence (AI) -based decision support tools for patients with kidney and prostate tumors. These tools are intended to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis for these types of cancer.
-
What are the main goals of the COMFORT project?
The main goals of the COMFORT project are:
- Develop multimodal AI models that can process data from various sources, such as medical images, text reports, and patient characteristics.
- Improve the accuracy and reliability of cancer diagnosis and subtype classification.
- Provide personalised treatment recommendations based on individual patient data.
- Enhance the understanding of kidney and prostate cancer development and progression.
- Ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI in healthcare.
-
Which organisations are participating in the COMFORT project?
COMFORT is a collaborative effort involving 16 partner organisations from across Europe, including:
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Coordinator)
- Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
- Klinikum Rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München
- Panepistimio Patron
- Aristotelio Panepistimio Thessalonikis
- Servicio Madrileño de Salud
- Fundación para la Investigación Biomedica del Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre
- Berliner Hochschule für Technik
- Radboud University
- Quantib BV
- Phönix-PACS GmbH
- Eurice European Research and Project Office GmbH
- Umea Universitet
- Università degli Studi di Salerno
- European Cancer Patient Coalition
- Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung ev
Technical Aspects
-
What type of data will be used in the COMFORT project?
The COMFORT project will utilise a diverse range of data, including:
- Medical Images: MRI and CT scans of the kidneys and prostate.
- Text Reports: Radiology reports, electronic health records (EHRs).
- Patient Characteristics: Age, gender, comorbidities, lab values, and body composition measurements.
- Open-Source Data: Medical textbooks, scientific papers, and wikis.
-
How will the AI models be developed and trained?
AI models will be developed using state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, including deep learning and transformer networks. The models will be trained on large datasets collected from participating clinical sites and publicly available sources.
-
What are the planned clinical studies?
The COMFORT project includes a prospective clinical study involving 315 patients with suspected kidney cancer and 685 patients with suspected prostate cancer. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the developed AI tools in real-world clinical settings.
Ethical Considerations
-
How will the COMFORT project address ethical concerns related to AI?
The COMFORT project places strong emphasis on ethical considerations and responsible AI development. These considerations include:
- Explainability: Ensuring that the AI models' decision-making processes are transparent and understandable.
- Bias Mitigation: Addressing potential biases in the data and algorithms to avoid unfair or discriminatory outcomes.
- Privacy Protection: Implementing robust data security measures to protect patient privacy and confidentiality.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Involving patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders in the development and evaluation of the AI tools.
-
How will patient data be protected in the COMFORT project?
The COMFORT project adheres to strict data protection regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). All patient data will be anonymised and securely stored, and access will be restricted to authorised personnel. The project will also employ data governance frameworks to ensure responsible data management throughout the research process.