UNICA

UNICA – Unified Network for International Cancer Advancement

The UNICA project aims to extend the European Cancer Imaging Initiative (EUCAIM) by incorporating new breast, lung, and prostate cancer imaging data into its existing federated infrastructure. The project seeks to address the urgent need for innovative approaches in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment by leveraging the potential of federated medical imaging data.

The project's background is rooted in the high incidence and mortality of cancer in the European Union, which highlights the need for advanced digital technologies to improve cancer care. The EUCAIM project is a key part of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, and UNICA is designed to align with and support this larger initiative.

The project will use a federated learning approach, which allows AI models to be trained on data from multiple institutions without the sensitive patient data leaving the medical centres. This approach addresses privacy concerns while enabling the development of robust and generalizable AI models for breast and lung cancer screening. The ultimate goal is to improve cancer screening and patient outcomes across Europe by increasing the availability of high-quality cancer imaging data and the development of AI-based solutions.

The specific objectives of the UNICA project are:

• Perform cancer data standardisation by applying FAIR principles in alignment with EUCAIM's standards: This involves assisting hospitals in making patient data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) by using a common schema. It includes addressing data protection authorisations, implementing data warehouse architecture guidelines, cataloguing, ontology mapping, and promoting the European Electronic Health Record Exchange Format (EEHRxF).
• Expand the geographical coverage of the European Cancer Imaging Infrastructure (EUCAIM) by onboarding new imaging data repositories from underrepresented regions: The project will guide medical centres in Greece, Germany, Slovenia, Ukraine, Portugal, Lithuania, and Poland in activating EUCAIM federated nodes and contributing cancer imaging data from screening programs, ensuring GDPR compliance and addressing legal aspects.
• Demonstrate the adoption and integration of AI-based technologies for cancer imaging analysis by piloting advanced AI models: This objective involves training non-technical beneficiaries on federated learning, then using the EUCAIM federated infrastructure to pilot AI models for breast cancer risk assessment and lung cancer detection from chest X-rays. The development will adhere to European trustworthy AI guidelines, emphasising explainability and clinical integration.
• Ensure comprehensive alignment with key EU initiatives: The project will maintain close coordination with EUCAIM and align with other relevant EU-funded initiatives like EHDS infrastructures, Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, and the Cancer Mission through various collaborative activities.
• Promote patient empowerment through targeted communication strategies and dissemination: This objective focuses on fostering patient data altruism by motivating individuals to donate health data for research, establishing clear opt-in/opt-out mechanisms, emphasising anonymisation and transparent governance, and collaborating with data altruism organisations.