The Breast Imaging Lab conducts cutting-edge research in breast cancer imaging, with a strong focus on translating innovations into real-world clinical benefits. We aim to harness the power of artificial intelligence to enhance early detection, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring through advanced imaging technologies.
Our work directly contributes to improving patient outcomes, optimizing healthcare resources, and supporting more personalized and efficient breast cancer care.
• Developing a prediction tool that will help patients to understand how their breasts will look after breast cancer locoregional treatment
At least one third of the patients submitted to breast cancer locoregional treatment are disappointed with the aesthetic results. Using an AI algorithm we can try to match the photographs of the patients breasts with similar results from previous patients. This will hopefully help the patients to better understand the outcome results leading to less decision regret.
• Improving locoregional treatment literacy and information using digital tools and generative AI
Digital health literacy is becoming more important and it can help patients to better understand the possible options of treatment. The use of decision aids is becoming more popular and the integration of generative AI leads to faster upgrading and generalization. We can expand our horizons of research to diverse languages and populations allowing for more inclusivity without higher costs.
• Improving surgical outcomes of breast cancer patients
With a strong international collaboration with groups experts in breast cancer treatment our group as continuously contributed to the EU Breast trials. The participation in ASXANA and now in I Prepare allows to obtain prospective large-scale information that will contribute to improve breast cancer surgical treatment.
Our Clinical studies examine the potential of physical exercise as a concurrent therapy along with standard care to counteract the overall side effect burden of breast cancer treatment resulting from fatigue, cardiotoxicity, neuropathies, and sleep disturbances. Examples of our clinical research include a 4 to 6 month randomized controlled trial that is examining the impact of supervised exercise on Ki67 among breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant treatment (The Neoadjuvant Exercise Oncology Program – NEO -Program). We have other clinical trials in preparation to 1) examine whether resistance exercise can improve tolerability to cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) with endocrine therapy in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/Human Epidermal Receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancers and 2) to determine whether physical exercise can improve sleep patterns during adjuvant hormone therapy in hormone-dependent (HR+) breast cancer.
Epidemiological studies use already existent data resources to expand our understanding of the role of physical activity and sleep in the etiology of cancer. Epidemiological studies are important to determine the distribution of risk factors for cancer such as physical inactivity or poor sleep in the population and quantify dose-response relationships between physical activity, sleep, and cancer risk and cancer survivorship. Examples of ongoing studies include our 1) examinations of the distribution of activity levels in the Portuguese population (n=8000 adults) using wearable measures of step counts and stepping intensity, and 2) examinations of associations between wearable-based sleep patterns and risk of mortality among adults (n=5000 adults).
Digital Health studies in our lab are examining the clinical value of wearable technology in oncology for the timely identification and monitorization of cancer treatment side effects including fatigue. These studies will allow for more individualized and proactive cancer treatments. We are particularly interested in identifying digital biomarkers of cancer outcomes using physical activity, exposure to light, and sleep measures, extracted from consumer and research-grade wearables. One example of a digital health study that we conducted recently includes the characterization of sleep patterns using a contactless sleep device among 25 women undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy and whose sleep patterns were monitored for 4 consecutive months throughout the entire duration of their treatment.
Group Leader
Breast Radiologist
Principal Investigator
Clinical Researcher
Breast Radiologist
Clinical Researcher
Breast Radiologist
Clinical Research Assistant
Research Technician
Zebrafish Avatar testing preclinical study predicts chemotherapy response in breast cancer.
Mendes RV, Ribeiro JM, Gouveia H, Rebelo de Almeida C, Castillo-Martin M, Brito MJ, Canas-Marques R, Batista E, Alves C, Sousa B, Gouveia P, Ferreira MG, Cardoso MJ, Cardoso F, Fior R. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2025 9(1):94. doi: 10.1038/s41698-025-00882-0.
Publication Date: 2025
Targeted Axillary Dissection after Chemotherapy: Feasibility Study with Clip and Carbon Dye Tattoo – Neotarget Trial.
Pinto D, Batista E, Gouveia P, Mavioso C, Anacleto J, Ribeiro J, Sousa B, Gouveia H, Ferreira A, Chumbo M, Vasconcelos MA, Correia M, Canas Marques R, Galzerano A, Brito MJ, Alves C, Cardoso F, Cardoso MJ. Breast Care (Basel). 2022 17(2):166-171. doi: 10.1159/000517208.
Publication Date: 2021
A Breast 3D model as a possible tool for non-invasive tumor location in breast surgery.
Gouveia P, Bessa S, Oliveira HP, Batista E. European Journal of Cancer 138 Oct. 2020. 12th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-12) 77. DOI: 10.1016/S0959-8049(20)30736-X
Publication Date: 2020
Feasibility trial of lymph node marking using carbon dye in N1 patients down-staged to cN0 after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, to improve accuracy of axillary surgical staging.
Batista E, Pinto D, Canas Marques R, Ribeiro J, Gouveia P, Vasconcelos M, Ferreira Silva A, Mavioso C, Alves C, Cardoso F, Cardoso MJ. 2018. European Journal of Cancer 92(3): S86. DOI:10.1016/S0959-8049(18)30486-6
Publication Date: 2018
Artificial Intelligence for early detection of non-communicable disease risk in people with breast cancer (ID:101080983. 2022-2028)
Sponsor: European Commission
Principal Investigator: Eva Batista / João Santinha / Javier Morales
To reduce the long-term health burden in breast cancer survivors, the ARTILLERY project aims to harness the power of artificial intelligence for early detection of chronic disease risk factors. As data providers for the ARTILLERY project, our lab plays a crucial role in enabling the development and validation of AI tools for early detection of chronic disease risks in breast cancer patients. We work in partnership with Digital Surgery Lab (DSL) involved in the imaging acquisition and processing. Specifically, we contribute to high-quality annotated CT imaging datasets routinely acquired during radiotherapy planning, which include valuable yet underutilized clinical markers such as vascular calcifications and bone density indicators. Our contributions are essential for transforming routine imaging data into actionable insights that can improve long-term health outcomes for breast cancer survivors.
MammoScreen Project (Clinical Trials.gov: NCT06291896; ID: 101097079)
Sponsor: PRR Project/ FIRST GLOBAL SOLUTION
Principal Investigator: Celeste Alves
Mammography-based screening programmes show strong performance but present drawbacks, such as the uses of x-rays and low efficacy in dense breasts. There's a demand for more inclusive screening that considers various risk factors and societal barriers to access. The aim of this project is to tackle these issues and more specifically, to compare the results of MammoWave with BI-RADS scoring from standard mammography. The project includes five European countries: Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland and Portugal with nine centers, in a multicenter, prospective diagnostic accuracy trial, aimed at asymptomatic women of breast cancer screening age.
The EUBREAST Network is a non-profit international collaboration of leading breast cancer surgeons dedicated to improving patient quality of life through less extensive surgical approaches. By promoting high-quality, cross-border clinical trials, EUBREAST aims to accelerate scientific progress and support the de-escalation of breast cancer surgery without compromising patient safety. The initiative focuses on designing innovative studies, coordinating efforts to avoid redundancy, and fostering collaboration among breast centers and interdisciplinary teams. EUBREAST’s mission is to help breast cancer patients return to active, healthy lives more quickly by reducing the physical and psychological burden of treatment.
There is established evidence that physical exercise is a key player for cancer prevention and for improving the prognosis and quality of life of people who have cancer. Our lab organized the conference Moving Beyond, which took place at the Champalimaud Foundation on April 3 and 4 2025 and gathered world scientific leaders in the field of “exercise oncology”.
During the two-day conference, we interviewed a series of invited speakers on the benefits of physical activity for cancer prevention and treatment and asked speakers to share some of the key scientific advances in exercise oncology.
Watch the video and hear what they had to say.
Disclaimer: contact us for more information about these studies or if you wish to know more about other ongoing work we have at our lab.