Cancer is a leading cause of death in the EU, and the number of people dying of the disease is expected to rise by a quarter between now and 2035. Today, cancer patients generate a wealth of data as they move along the care pathway, ranging from scans and pathology reports to electronic health records and patient-reported outcomes. If this data could be linked up and analysed, it could both dramatically improve patient care and contribute to research; however, doing this in practice is far from easy. Meanwhile artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve care exist, but integrating them into care remains challenging.
Aiming to transform cancer care
The aim of PATH is to transform cancer care by drawing on secure data exchange and digital technologies to integrate AI tools into care.
To do this, the project will first map the state of the art in terms of the AI tools available, study existing best practice for their integration into care pathways, and analyse the barriers to their wider adoption. They will then take existing AI tools provided by the project partners and enhance and adapt them for use in the clinic. When working on the tools, they will ensure that the models are based on data from diverse patient populations to avoid bias. They will also promote algorithms that are aligned with the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) data principles. Finally, the PATH team will ensure AI models adhere to the principles of trustworthy AI.
A key project output will be the PATH dashboard and accompanying data space. With an intuitive, interactive user interface, the dashboard will allow health professionals to easily select, deploy and interact with AI tools, enabling seamless integration into daily medical practice. The project will continuously collect feedback from both healthcare professionals and patients to improve the platform and the AI solutions it hosts.
The project will validate the system in large-scale pilot studies in hospitals, oncology centres and patient organisations across the EU. By testing AI-powered decision support in these real-world settings, the project will generate best practices for AI adoption in healthcare.
A core element of PATH is its strong co-creation approach with end users, including healthcare professionals, patient organisations, and policymakers. This collaborative process will support the development of relevant best practices, guidelines, and comprehensive training materials, ultimately facilitating the responsible and sustainable adoption of AI across the healthcare sector.
The challenge: getting AI models to work reliably in clinical workflows
‘The real challenge in healthcare AI is not building the models. It is getting them to work reliably inside clinical workflows without compromising regulatory compliance. PATH tackles that head-on. Through federated learning, clinicians across institutions can benefit from continuously improving AI tools,’ said the PATH industry lead, Sridhar Kumaraswamy of Ancora Health. ‘As the platform is built for GDPR and EU AI Act compliance from the ground up, this infrastructure will substantially accelerate adoption that is being held back by fragmentation, regulatory uncertainty, and a lack of real-world clinical validation. Ultimately, that means clinicians are equipped with tools they can trust and patients receive care enabled by AI tested across institutions and borders. Ancora Health is proud to be at the heart of it.’
In the long term, the project outputs will provide health professionals with validated AI tools that can be deployed across diagnosis, treatment, and long-term patient management. Patients will gain personalised AI-driven insights, empowering informed healthcare decisions. For their part, AI developers will benefit from FAIR data exchange, allowing the large-scale validation of new AI-based tools.
PATH: turning data into impacts
‘I’m proud to coordinate the PATH project, where, together with the PATH consortium, we are turning Europe’s vast cancer data into real impact for patients and clinicians,’ said project coordinator Caroline Barelle of European Dynamics. ‘By enabling secure data exchange and integrating trustworthy AI directly into everyday clinical workflows, we will equip healthcare professionals with practical, decision-support tools that enhance diagnosis, guide treatment choices, and support long-term patient management. In doing so, we will empower patients with more personalised, data-driven care while contributing to key EU initiatives such as Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the European Health Data Space.’