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Rethinking RECIST – Exploring the Origins, Impact, and Future of Modern Response Criteria in Cancer Trials

The Rethinking RECIST project delves into the historical and contemporary impact of RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors), the gold standard used in clinical trials to evaluate cancer treatments. Despite its widespread adoption, RECIST faces significant criticism for its lack of reproducibility, objectivity, and accuracy. This project aims to explore the origins of these response criteria, tracing their evolution from pre-1970s methodologies to their current form.

By combining historical research, contemporary oncological practice, and the perspective of  AI for this particular application, the project offers a comprehensive understanding of how these criteria shaped treatment decisions, drug approval processes, and patient outcomes. It also investigates the broader implications for public health, offering insights into how such criteria influence policy and global health standards, particularly through collaborations with the WHO.

Rethinking RECIST brings together the expertise of cancer scientists and physicians, historians, and policy experts. The project will utilise a literature review, archival research, and oral history interviews to provide an in-depth examination of RECIST’s development and impact. These findings have the potential to significantly enhance our understanding of response assessment methods and prevent the repetition of past mistakes, ultimately guiding the development of improved cancer treatment evaluation criteria and setting the stage for the development of new, more accurate clinical trial protocols, with an emphasis on improving patient care and promoting equitable health outcomes.

Project Team:

  • Vera Keil, PhD MD, Lead Applicant, Department of Neuroradiology, Amsterdam University Medical Center (AUMC)
  • Stefano Trebeschi, PhD, Co-Applicant, Department of Radiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute; GROW School of Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University
  • Illaa Smesseim, MD, Co-Applicant, Department of Thoracic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI)
  • Manon S. Parry, Postdoctoral Co-Supervisor (no financial compensation), Department of History, European Studies and Religion, University of Amsterdam (UvA)