According to Dr. Houda Bahig, a radiation oncologist and researcher specializing in the treatment of ENT and lung cancers, technological advances in radiotherapy offer many possibilities for optimizing care. In particular, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to huge advances in controlling side effects and disease in patients.
“Radiotherapy combines cutting-edge technology with a strong human side. It's the prospect of developing these two aspects with the aim of improving care that particularly interests me,” she emphasizes.
Inspired by her practice with CHUM patients, she hopes to further personalize treatments to optimize survival rates and quality of life.
From the lab to clinical trials
To this end, Dr. Bahig is conducting research in two interrelated areas. The first uses an AI tool to analyze ENT cancer patient data from the CHUM biobanks and ATiM core facilities. The goal: to predict side effects and establish the best radiotherapy treatment plans for future patients. The findings obtained by her team are promising and have been published in several scientific journals.
The second part of her research aims to apply the conclusions drawn from the analysis of these data to clinical trials. In one of these randomized studies, Dr. Bahig and her team tested a new treatment approach for oropharyngeal cancer.
“We've introduced an innovative, much shorter treatment, which uses very precise imaging technology to target the cancer,” she explains. “This allows us to reduce the dosage so that instead of seven weeks, radiotherapy now lasts four weeks.”
Given the promising preliminary results, the regional study has generated considerable interest and has enabled patients to be recruited internationally, which is very encouraging for Dr. Bahig. “Several hospitals, such as the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, followed by a hospital in London, Ontario, and soon another in Holland, expressed interest in joining us. The trial is now in phase three and will greatly contribute to improving treatments for patients.” Dr. Bahig is also pleased that most of the patients recruited for this study agreed to participate in the CRCHUM biobanks.
A tailor-made tool for therapeutic decision making
Thanks to a grant for clinical researchers from the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network and funding from the CHUM, her team is also developing a new personalized therapeutic decision support tool for patients with head and neck cancers using multiomics.* In other words, it involves using diverse patient information, genetics, imaging and clinical observations to identify biomarkers and anticipate responses to treatment. Sequencing of around a hundred patients has already been completed, feeding into the biobank at the same time. Eventually, the tool will be validated in multicentre clinical trials.
Over the next few years, Dr. Bahig hopes that her work will translate into tangible results for patients, and that she will have the opportunity to continue collaborating internationally. “We have been able to initiate studies for which we are the principal investigators at major international centres. This requires bringing together clinicians, researchers, computer engineers, surgeons and students, and then creating extraordinary synergy! It's a big challenge, but one with big rewards.”
*Multiomics: field of biotechnology that combines genomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics and proteomics.
Imaging and engineering research theme highlights
May 2024
Dr. Martin Girard, Dr. Houda Bahig and Dr. Daniel von Renteln receive close to $428,000 in grants as part of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) research scholars program.
July 2024
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) award a $493,426 grant to Dr. Daniel von Renteln for his project to improve colorectal cancer screening.
September 2024
ÉTS professors Ali Ahmadi, co-director of the CRCHUM Biomaterials and Biofabrication Laboratory, and Sophie Lerouge, director of the CRCHUM Endovascular Biomaterials Laboratory, receive $100,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation's (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund to explore new biofabrication techniques and innovative biomaterials.
October 2024
Researcher Nicola Hagemeister, also a professor at ÉTS, wins the Prix d’excellence en recherche et création – Volet Réalisation from Université du Québec for her extensive clinical study of osteoarthritis of the knee, published in the scientific journal Postgraduate Medicine.
November 2024
Dr. An Tang, researcher and professor in the Department of Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at Université de Montréal, is appointed to the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé committee.
February 2025
CIHR awards $1.08M to Dr. Gilles Soulez for his project on magnetic resonance navigation in the treatment of liver cancer, and $1.34M to Dr. Daniel von Renteln for his work on reducing adverse events after endoscopic resection of large colorectal polyps.
March 2025
Researcher Dr. Gilles Soulez from the Imaging and Engineering Research Theme is awarded the Scientific Contribution of the Year Award as part of the 2024 CRCHUM Awards of Excellence for his work published in Science Robotics.
This text is taken from our 2024-2025 Activity Report
