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January 2025  |  EN  |  ES  |  FR




The European-funded HARMONIC project officially ended in November 2024 with major achievements summarized in our Key Results table. International datasets are pooled together for subsequent analyses to improve our knowledge on the health effects of medical exposure to ionizing radiation in childhood, particularly in cancer patients treated with modern radiotherapy techniques and cardiac patients treated with X-ray guided imaging procedures.


We are building the first European registry of children, adolescents and young adults treated with modern photon- or proton-based radiotherapy, with the aim of investigating early and late effects of treatments.

The HARMONIC-Radiotherapy study  has included over 2,300 patients from five centres in Belgium, Denmark, France and Germany. The registry contains detailed information on health events, treatments, biological and imaging measurements, as well as patient- and parent-reported outcomes. This is further complemented by a repository of DICOM-RT files, CT/MRI images, and blood and saliva samples collected before and after radiotherapy. Patient recruitment and follow-up are still ongoing and data analyses are underway. We are happy to grant free access to our protocol and the database structure, under request at https://harmonicproject.eu/resources/.

We are pooling data on approximately 70,000 paediatric patients who underwent cardiac catheterization in Europe.

We have collected clinical and radiological information on young patients who underwent cardiac catheterisation across seven European countries. In the coming months, we will complete the analysis of the dose-response relationship between radiation exposure and subsequent cancer in these children. This cohort includes very young patients —a particularly sensitive population for whom epidemiological studies are scarce. The large sample size and detailed dose reconstruction will enable a robust estimation of the the dose response curve, as well as the identification of potential modifying and confounding factors.

We developed software to contribute to optimization of treatment and estimate radiation doses received by different organs of the body for both cohorts of the study.

The simulation software developed for the paediatric cancer patient cohort integrates dose estimation from onboard imaging procedures and could be used to estimate out-of-field and far-out-of-field organ doses from proton and photon radiotherapy.  It also opens the possibility of performing risk-informed treatment planning.

We also developed a user-friendly software tool for rapid dose estimation in interventional cardiology procedures. This tool is being used to finalise dose exposure estimates —and its associated uncertainty— for the cardiology patient cohort —an essential step in studying the link between radiation exposure in children and cancer.

CardioVision, a prototype software, can help to optimise diagnostic processes and treatment planning in cardiology, allowing for faster, more precise decision-making while reducing the need for additional medical imaging.

We are investigating the biological mechanisms and potential biomarkers of adverse health effects, which will help to select optimal diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for each patient.

We focus on the development of tumours and vascular disease after exposure to ionising radiation at an early age. We set up a biobank at Stockholm University, ensuring proper sample storage and management. This will enable the potential use of samples beyond the HARMONIC project, under signed agreements.

We are also compiling lists of potential biomarkers, including plasma proteins, salivary proteins, miRNAs, and intracellular proteins. These biomarkers could aid in identifying the best treatment options and enable the early detection of late severe late health effects.


RESOURCES


Policy Brief

A call to funders, hospitals, ethical committees, and cancer registry authorities to provide the legal, technical, and financial support needed for the long-term follow-up of paediatric patients exposed to ionising radiation in Europe. [DOWNLOAD]

Key Results

Brief description of HARMONIC’s key results, how they can be used beyond the consortium, and by whom. [DOWNLOAD]



LATEST NEWS


Open Access to HARMONIC’s Database Structure and Protocol for Radiotherapy Studies

11/11/2024 — The documents, generated by the HARMONIC consortium, can support other studies that need to collect and analyse data from patients treated for cancer, with the aim of promoting collaborative research and open science. […]

HARMONIC Researchers Provide a Solution for the Accurate Calculation of Radiation Doses to the Whole Body

26/01/2024 — These results will help to better predict the risk of developing secondary cancers after radiotherapy. […]

HARMONIC Researchers Develop a Method to Estimate Complete Patient Exposure During Radiotherapy

02/10/2023 — The study shows that the doses absorbed by organs far from the treatment volume are substantially smaller in proton therapy than in external beam photon therapy, even when taking into account the imaging dose. […]

HARMONIC Publishes its Protocol to Study Biological Responses to Radiation in Young Patients Treated with Radiotherapy

08/06/2023 — In the latest issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, HARMONIC researchers provide a detailed overview of the rationale, design and methods for understanding how radiotherapy affects our body and which biomarkers can be used to predict long-term health risks. […]


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