Project Grant R01HL189500

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded Emory University $788,336 under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) on August 10, 2026, to develop and validate a radiomic-based integrated cancer treatment benefit and cardiovascular outcome risk scale (RICTOR SCALE). The project runs through May 31, 2030, with place of performance in Atlanta, Georgia.

The RICTOR SCALE combines machine-learning analysis with clinical data to concurrently characterize immunotherapy benefit and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) risk in lung cancer patients. Approximately 225,000 new lung cancers are diagnosed annually in the United States, and patients face markedly elevated cardiovascular disease risk owing to shared risk factors and cardiotoxic effects of therapies including anthracyclines, immunotherapy, and radiation. Annual MACE incidence in this population ranges between 5 and 10 percent. Although medical society statements recommend baseline cardiovascular risk assessment before initiation of cardiotoxic medications, validated and pragmatic tools for this population are lacking. The RICTOR SCALE will provide clinically actionable information to facilitate shared decision-making, guide pre-emptive cardioprotective strategies, and identify patients who respond most favorably to cancer therapies without concomitant increase in cardiovascular risk. The integrated cardiology-oncology score addresses an unmet need for cardio-oncology decision-support tools combining prediction of cardiovascular disease risk and treatment benefit to facilitate personalized care.