AI-Powered Cardio-Oncology Care Focusing on Hearts of Women Aged 65+ with Breast Cancer

The ‘Cardiocare’ project is focusing on a vulnerable group of patients – women over 65 with breast cancer at risk of cardiotoxicity from cancer treatment. The project is currently celebrating a series of major achievements that bring its ambitious vision closer to reality: smarter, more personalized and more patient-centered care for this patient group.

Sophia Antipolis/France – The EU-funded Cardiocare project is marking major advances in AI-powered cardio-oncology care as it enters its final months.

The Cardiocare Consortium, which has the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) as one of its leading partners, is focusing on a previously neglected and vulnerable group of patients – women over 65 with breast cancer at risk of cardiotoxicity from cancer treatment.

The five-year project has brought together the expertise of cardiologists, oncologists, psychologists, molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, computer scientists and biomedical engineers from seven countries across Europe (Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands and France).

It is celebrating a series of major achievements that bring its ambitious vision closer to reality: smarter, more personalized and more patient-centered care for this patient group. This includes a comprehensive data resource, combining information from 1,587 past breast cancer patients and 642 breast cancer patients currently enrolled in the Cardiocare studies. These datasets include clinical, imaging, omics, patient-reported, emotional, psychological, lifestyle and sensor-based data, creating an exceptional foundation for the development of personalized AI-driven tools – including AI-based analysis of cardiac imaging to support early identification of patients who may be at higher risk of treatment-related cardiotoxicity.

This progress includes delivering two dedicated applications: epsycheart, designed to monitor intrinsic capacity and quality of life, and ehealtheart, supporting behavioral and psychological interventions. These tools have been used by the 642 patients across six clinical centres, demonstrating Cardiocare’s strong commitment to patient-centered innovation and real-world clinical relevance.

“One of the most impressive elements has been the willingness of elderly patients, many aged over 70 years, to use wearable technologies and apps, actively participating in their own care pathway. This challenges long-held assumptions about technology adoption in older populations,” says Dr. Georgia Karanasiou, Cardiocare Project Coordination Manager, University of Ioannina, Greece. “Also impressive is how healthcare providers across countries involved in Cardiocare have been receptive to integrating these tools into clinical practice when supported by robust evidence and actionable insights.”

And as the project approaches completion, Cardiocare is also showcasing important progress in AI-based models and algorithms for personalized patient monitoring and therapy support. These include prognostic models for cardiotoxicity development within three months and one year after breast cancer treatment, diagnostic models for monitoring stress, frailty and cardiac abnormalities and prognostic models for quality-of-life decline within one year after treatment. These models are currently being developed and evaluated using Cardiocare retrospective and prospective clinical data. Their aim is to support earlier identification of patients who may be at increased risk of cardiotoxicity, quality-of-life decline or related complications, rather than to replace clinical judgement.

Another highly promising area of progress is the identification of prognostic biomarkers linked to cardiotoxicity, intrinsic capacity and quality of life. For example, researchers found that specific bacteria in the patients’ gut microbiomes correlated with heart health biomarkers that suggest they are at greater risk of heart damage during chemotherapy.

“As Cardiocare enters its final months, we are delighted to see the project’s ambitious interdisciplinary vision transformed into concrete achievements,” says Dr. Karanasiou. “From rich multimodal datasets and mobile health tools like dedicated apps, to AI models, digital infrastructure and biomarker research, Cardiocare has created a strong foundation for the next generation of personalized cardio-oncology care.”

With the clinical study running efficiently and patient follow-ups progressing, Cardiocare is now focused on consolidating its results and preparing the ground for future uptake, exploitation and sustainability, including publishing results in peer-reviewed journals. “The project’s achievements reflect the strength of a highly multidisciplinary consortium working together to address one of the most important challenges in cancer survivorship: protecting cardiovascular health while supporting quality of life,” says Dr Karanasiou.

“As Cardiocare moves towards completion, its legacy is clear: an integrated, data-driven and patient-oriented approach that can help shape the future of cardio-oncology care for older breast cancer patients.”

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