Announcement of Publication of Paper on Automation of Radiotherapy Planning for Head and Neck Cancer

Airato Inc. (Headquarters: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, CEO: Yuritoki Kimura, hereinafter referred to as "the Company") is pleased to announce that a paper by Nagasaki University Hospital, with whom the Company has been conducting joint research, on the automation of radiotherapy planning for head and neck cancer has been published in an academic journal.

This paper aims to directly compare the 3D dose prediction approach using the AI system "RatoGuide" developed by the Company with a commercial machine learning approach (RapidPlan) using the same patient cohort. The results of blinded evaluation by experts showed that 90% of the AI-generated automated plans were judged to be at a clinically usable level. This result indicates that this AI is comparable in planning accuracy to experienced specialists.

Paper Information

Paper Title: Comparison of DVH-based machine learning and 3D convolutional neural network approaches for automated VMAT planning in head and neck cancer

Authors: Takuya Nakamura, Hirofumi Yamazaki, Tomohiko Kawachi (Nagasaki University Hospital), Yutaro Tasaki (Nagasaki University Hospital), Yuritoki Kimura (Airato Inc.), Ryo Toyama (Nagasaki University)

Journal: Radiological Physics and Technology (Official English journal of the Japan Society of Medical Physics and the Japan Society of Radiological Technology, published by Springer)

Publication Date: June 3, 2026 (Online publication)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-026-01070-w

Research Support: Support based on a joint research agreement with Airato Inc.

Research Highlights

This paper validated the AI-based 3D dose distribution prediction approach in the field of head and neck cancer, which has complex anatomical structures. Using treatment data from 65 head and neck cancer patients, the AI system's automated plans were compared and analyzed with clinical plans created by experienced specialists. The dose error was within an average of 2%, showing high agreement in both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Furthermore, in a blinded evaluation by radiation oncologists and medical physicists, 90% of the AI-automated plans were judged to be clinically usable, with no statistically significant difference compared to the clinical plans (p=0.0413, after Bonferroni correction). This demonstrated the clinical superiority of 3D dose distribution prediction.

【About Airato Inc.】

Airato Inc. is a medical innovation company founded by medical professionals and researchers familiar with cancer treatment sites, aiming to change the future of cancer treatment through AI technology. Starting from the challenges in the field of radiation therapy, one of the cancer treatments, the company develops and provides medical AI products that continue to be used in clinical practice.

Company Name: Airato Inc.

Locations

Headquarters: 6-6-40 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, T-Biz

Tokyo Office: 16th Floor, Sumitomo Fudosan Shiba Park Tower, 2-11-1 Shiba Park, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Representative Directors: Yuritoki Kimura, Tomoyuki Kadoya

Established: March 2022

Business Activities: Development and provision of AI-powered radiotherapy planning support software

Airato Inc. Official Website