Aitor Almeida and Aritz Bilbao assisted to the kick-off meeting of the Big Data Models and Intelligent tools for Quality of Life monitoring and participatory empowerment of head and neck cancer survivors (BD4QoL) project in Milan the 30th and 31st of January. The University of Deusto is one of the 13 partners of the project.

The number of treatment options available for head and neck cancer (HNC) has increased in the last decade thanks to advanced technologies. While current post-treatment care plans focus on functional and health conditions, there are socioeconomic determinants of quality of life that also need to be addressed. The EU-funded BD4QoL project aims to improve HNC survivors’ quality of life by developing a person-centred monitoring and follow-up plan. It will use artificial intelligence and Big Data collected from mobile devices, in combination with multi-source clinical and socioeconomic data and patients’ reported outcomes. Analysis of the quality of life indicators collected over time will facilitate early detection of risks, prevent long-term effects of treatment, and inform patients and caregivers for personalised interventions.