Project that helps women choose the best course of treatment for breast cancer comes to an end
Project PICTURE (Patient Information Combined for the Assessment of Specific Surgical Outcomes in Breast Cancer), developed by INESC TEC’s Centre for Telecommunications and Multimedia (CTM), was concluded in January 2016.
08 fevereiro 2016
The researchers involved in the project developed a 3D tool for planning surgeries. Other than reassuring patients regarding the long-term aesthetic effects of surgery, the tool can also be used to assess the results of different therapies. This tool may contribute significantly to the discussions between physicians and the patients regarding the best course of treatment – clinically and aesthetically speaking – for each patient. Furthermore, the tool can also help surgeons optimise surgery-related aspects (such as the size and location of the incision) in order to minimise the changes in the appearance of the breast, providing an aesthetical assessment.
Besides INESC TEC, PICTURE featured as partners the Champalimaud Foundation (Portugal), University Medical Center Leiden (Netherlands), University College London, King’s College London’s Royal Free Hospital (United Kingdom), and Philips (Germany). These institutions worked together to create this tool that helps communicate to the patient the treatment options available, making it possible to provide a standardised and safe assessment of the procedure, and demonstrating that using virtual tools patients can become part of the decision-making process.
The prototype developed during the three-year project will be presented at the event PICTURE Project – Launch Meeting, which will take place in London, at the Royal Free London Foundation Trust, on 29 January 2016.
For this project, INESC TEC developed a framework for reconstructing 3D models of the patient’s body using data collected with the Microsoft Kinect.
INESC TEC also contributed to the creation of easy to use mathematical models, which can be used to help plan surgery.
Finally, INESC TEC was also responsible for creating aesthetical assessment models using 2D and 3D information.
The INESC TEC researchers involved in project PICTURE are Jaime Cardoso (project manager), Maria João Cardoso, Hélder Oliveira, Hooshiar Zolfagharnasab, João Pedro Monteiro, Pedro Gouveia, and Diogo Pernes (former employee). This project received 2.15 million Euros from the 7th EU Framework Programme, as part of agreement No. FP7-600948.
The INESC TEC researchers mentioned in this news piece are associated with INESC TEC and UP-FEUP.