Current decision tools (TNM, MRI/PET, CEA, and other serum markers, as well as single-marker genomics) are insufficiently predictive of responders, fail to detect early MRD in many cases, and rarely connect molecular biology to dynamic perioperative data. SAFE-AI will build and validate multimodal, explainable GenAI models that fuse liquid/tissue multi-omics with radiology and clinical trajectories to:
(i) detect MRD earlier, (ii) improve recurrence-risk calibration, and (iii) support non-invasive "virtual biopsy"-inferring tissue-level features from blood profiles, and vice-versa, to mitigate missing-modality gaps. This is grounded in the strong mechanistic premise that integrating heterogeneous molecular signals with imaging captures tumour-host biology more completely than single-modality assays, enabling actionable, calibrated risk estimates for rectal and oesophageal cancer.
The clinical hypothesis is that such integrated models can improve recurrence prediction by at least 20% over guideline baselines, with transparent uncertainty and bias monitoring to meet EU AI Act/MDR expectations.
Age ≥18 years (RC and EC are primarily adult-onset cancers, and adult inclusion aligns with ethical biospecimen collection and consent processes.)
Histologically confirmed diagnosis of rectal or esophageal cancer (Confirms clinical relevance and eligibility for standard treatment pathways.)
Treatment plan includes surgical resection with curative intent (Ensures applicability to MRD and outcome prediction tasks.)
Undergoing standard-of-care neo-adjuvant or perioperative therapy (Ensures data consistency and relevance to response modelling.)
Diagnosis of non-resectable or metastatic disease at enrollment (Excludes non-curative settings where the longitudinal biomarker protocol may not be feasible.)
Emergency surgeries or treatment plans that deviate from standard protocols (To maintain data comparability.)
Inability or refusal to provide informed consent (Essential for ethical compliance.)
Failure to complete biospecimen donation or key follow-up timepoints (Maintains data integrity and model reliability.)