Australian trial tests AI-guided radiotherapy for liver cancer
Real-life clinical settings are increasingly seeing AI being applied to improve precision, reduce invasive procedures, and support more effective patient care.
The Central Coast Cancer Centre in New South Wales is playing a lead role in a clinical trial exploring how AI can improve the precision of radiotherapy for liver cancer.
Led by the University of Sydney’s Image X Institute, the trial uses AI-powered X-ray imaging to track liver tumours in real time as patients breathe. The Central Coast Cancer Centre is the lead site for liver cancer in the study.
Current treatment practices often involve surgically implanting markers into the liver to help locate the tumour as it moves with the patient’s breathing. The AI tool maps and tracks tumour location with high precision, potentially reducing the need for invasive surgical intervention.
Liver tumours can shift during breathing, creating challenges for accurate radiation delivery. Researchers hope the technology will help indicate when clinicians need to intervene in radiotherapy delivery and, in future, support automated intervention during treatment.
Around 3,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer in Australia each year, representing about 2% of all new cancer cases. NSW officials said early results from the trial are promising, but researchers are currently using the AI tool in a non-interventional setting.
The trial is supported by NSW investment in clinical trial infrastructure, with the state government providing A$5 million a year through the Cancer Institute NSW to strengthen clinical trial sites across New South Wales.
Why does it matter?
The trial shows how AI is moving into clinical workflows where precision, timing, and patient comfort matter. If validated, AI-guided imaging could reduce reliance on invasive marker implantation and improve tumour tracking during radiotherapy. However, the technology remains under clinical evaluation, so the policy-relevant point is not that AI has already transformed liver cancer treatment, but that public health systems are testing practical AI applications in treatment delivery.
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