The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is accelerating rapidly, with market size growing by 233% between 2020 and 2023 – and projections suggesting a further 40% increase by the end of 2025.

While many specialties such as diagnostics, genomics, and patient monitoring have integrated AI at pace, neurosurgery – known for its complexity and critical precision – has historically adopted a more cautious approach.

That is beginning to change. A new wave of AI research is addressing longstanding surgical challenges, from planning and technique refinement to intraoperative guidance and outcome prediction.

Clinical Leadership at Queen Square

Leading this progress is Mr Patrick Grover, Consultant Neurosurgeon and Clinical Director at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the Queen Square Radiosurgery Centre in London. His work focuses on integrating AI technologies into daily neurosurgical practice to improve outcomes and support more personalised care pathways.

In a recent podcast with Future Medicine AI, Mr Grover discussed how AI is already influencing clinical decision-making, enhancing surgical training and advancing the planning of individualised treatments.

Where AI Is Making an Impact

Mr Grover’s current research is focused on three key areas where AI systems are showing clinical value:

• Natural language processing: To extract insights from large volumes of clinical documentation and support individualised care planning.
• Computer vision for operative video analysis: Helping to interpret intraoperative footage, identify surgical steps, and support technical education.
• Medical imaging and radiomics: Used in planning treatments such as Gamma Knife radiosurgery, including tumour contouring and predicting post-treatment outcomes.

These innovations are not theoretical—they’re being actively developed, validated, and refined in clinical settings with the aim of improving both outcomes and efficiency.

To explore these topics in more depth, watch the full podcast with Mr Patrick Grover below:

Balancing Innovation and Oversight

As AI capabilities expand, Mr Grover underscores the continued need for clinical oversight, transparency and accountability. Outputs must be not only accurate but also explainable. In neurosurgery, understanding the reasoning behind recommendations is essential to safe and effective practice.

He also highlights the importance of shared research frameworks and data protocols that enable progress to be replicated and scaled across different institutions and healthcare systems.

Looking Ahead

Beyond today’s applications, Mr Grover and his team are investigating future-facing technologies like robotic surgical assistance and brain-computer interfaces – each offering potential for greater intraoperative precision. However, these too must follow rigorous pathways of validation and integration.

A Shared Vision at Amethyst

Mr Grover’s work echoes Amethyst Healthcare‘s broader commitment to precision medicine and responsible innovation. As AI moves from promise to practice, Amethyst remains dedicated to supporting clinicians with tools that deliver safer, faster, and more personalised care -always with the patient at the centre.

Serbian medical platform e-Klinika has just featured an interview with Dr Paul Stuchetz, the director of the Amethyst Radiotherapy Centre, a leading private practice based in Vienna, Austria, and which specialises in the provision of oncology radiotherapy services.

About the Amethyst Group

The Amethyst Group was first established some 15 years ago and has gone on to launch 16 centres in six different European countries: the UK, Romania, Poland, Italy, France and Austria. It treats more than 40,000 cancer patients annually, using radiotherapy to tackle various different forms of the disease.

A Unique Approach to Patient Care

Speaking to the news source, Dr Stuchetz explained that the facility embraces an interdisciplinary approach to healthcare, which is why it stands out as a centre of excellence in the field of radiation oncology, coupled with its commitment to innovation and quality in diagnostics and treatment, as well as prioritising patient wellbeing and comfort.

Safe and Structured Care for International Patients

Providing healthcare for patients from abroad involves following a precisely defined and structured procedure to ensure full regulatory compliance and medical safety, as well as a safe and efficient patient experience.

A team of medical experts come together to look at each individual case, including oncologists, physicists, radiation therapists and surgeons. Integrative therapies and psychological support are also available, with the goal being to make patients feel good both during and after treatment, supporting their general quality of life.

Dr Stuchetz said: “I think the most important message is that patients can give us their trust. We have an individual approach to each patient, which is what we are particularly oriented towards. Also, at Amethyst, they will be in safe hands, because only highly qualified doctors and specialists who have access to the latest medical achievements work with us.”

Support for Serbian Patients

For Serbian patients interested in finding out more about how the centre could help them throughout their cancer journey, Dr Stuchetz advised them to get in touch with associate Maja Zakarija (+381 63 388 546), who will be able to provide them with all the necessary support in their native language.

Learn more about our advanced radiotherapy and neurosurgical treatments for different cancers on the Amethyst Group website.

Amethyst Healthcare CEO, Stéphane Carré, has spoken to Healthcare Business International about the company’s new partnership with Fremman Capital, a European private equity firm. 

Amethyst were founded in Romania 15 years ago, and have since expanded throughout Europe to provide private radiation therapy, chemotherapy, brachytherapy, and supportive therapies to cancer and brain tumour patients. 

Carré discusses the future direction that Amethyst will take, including a more holistic approach to cover every stage of the care pathway, and also the future investment and expansion plans. Here’s a look at the main points of his interview.

The Fremman Capital partnership

Carré explains that the deal with Fremman Capital was agreed after almost 12 months of negotiations. 

He commented: “From our first conversations with Fremman in June last year, it was clear we were closely aligned, both in Amethyst’s growth potential and the strategic direction we’ve taken since I joined. Fremman quickly stood out as the right partner in terms of scale, strategic alignment, and operational support.”

The future direction of Amethyst

Expanding Access to Cancer Care Across and Beyond Europe

Carré made it clear that Amethyst is keen to expand the therapies and services it offers, as well as establish new treatment centres in Europe. Currently, the company operates 17 centres across six European countries, and treats over 50,000 patients each year. In countries such as the UK and France, it collaborates with public healthcare providers. 

Germany is seen as a priority country to expand to, and Europe will remain the centre of their operations. However, Carré explained that the company will continue to work to widen access to patients from outside Europe, particularly those from areas of the world that are currently underserved by radiation therapy services, such as parts of Africa and the Gulf. 

Prioritising patient-centred care

Amethyst is planning to widen its focus to include pre and post-treatment services, such as counselling and nutritional support. Another key strategy is expanding provisions into chemotherapy and diagnostic services. Such a joined-up approach can speed up treatment times and provide a more transparent and reassuring experience for patients. 

Carré commented: “Our aim is to support patients from the earliest stage of diagnosis right through to the end of treatment. And even beyond that we offer post-treatment services such as psychological counselling and generic advice, both of which are crucial to patient wellbeing.”

The role of technology and AI in future treatments

Amethyst is committed to investing in cutting-edge technologies that will keep the company at the forefront of cancer and brain tumour treatment. These include using AI and digital tools to create more personalised treatment plans and improve digital efficiencies. 

Carré explains: “AI enables us to tailor treatment plans to each individual — each tumour, each case. We’re already using AI during treatment planning and the contouring phase. As you may know, radiotherapy consists of three main stages: planning, tumour contouring, and treatment delivery.”

The Amethyst patient app

The Amethyst patient app is currently in development, and it will allow patients to take ownership of their care journey and help them to understand their specific condition in a clear and user-friendly way. Ultimately, this will build a ‘one point of contact’ model and deliver a more unified and accessible patient experience. 

AI to support image analysis

Tumour contouring, the process of analysing MRI scans to precisely map the location, size and shape of a tumour, is a very time intensive process and can be subject to human error and the vagaries of human interpretation. This can be particularly the case for brain tumours that do not have well defined boundaries, or multiple small tumours are present.

AI automation has shown to provide more consistent results, reducing instances of variabilities and oversights. This allows for a more time efficient approach, and a more precise delivery of radiation to the tumour cells, reducing the risk of complications and side effects. 

The use of AI tools is also being explored for delivering the effective and accurate radiation dose to the tumour cells, minimising the risk of damage to the surrounding tissues. Furthermore, research is ongoing into treating conditions beyond tumours, such as Parkinson’s disease and certain psychiatric disorders. 

Public-Private Partnerships

Carré emphasised the importance of consolidation in the radiotherapy market, as well as the company’s intention to strengthen public-private partnerships (PPPs) in its future healthcare strategy. 

He points out that high-quality cancer care requires significant investment, and as public healthcare budgets are currently under strain with little sign of improvement, he regards PPPs as essential to meet future demand. This is why PPPs will remain an important element of Amethyst’s growth strategy.

Carré comments: “We help public facilities increase their treatment capacity, modernise equipment, and improve access. In countries like France, if a public hospital can’t treat a minimum number of patients annually, it risks losing its licence. By operating on their behalf, we help them maintain accreditation, treat more patients, and enhance care.”

“It’s an innovative model that’s still underutilised in Europe and we’re committed to playing a leading role in its development.”

The future of cancer care

As we are faced with an ageing population, an increase in unhealthy lifestyle habits, and improved diagnostics leading to more cancer patients at an earlier age, the demand for world-class cancer care services is highly likely to increase in the future. 

BLIC, one of the leading news portals in Serbia, has just published an article on its platform showcasing cancer care provider Amethyst Austria and its successes in fighting cancer using innovative radiotherapy treatments and techniques.

The article features Dr Alinca Sturdza, radiation oncology expert and gynecology expert, who trained in her specialism at Princess Margaret University Hospital in Toronto.

Dr Sturdza said: “As an expert in brachytherapy, one of the most precise forms of cancer treatment with radiation, I use the most modern methods of radiotherapy. Thanks to the constant advances in oncology, cancer is becoming a chronic disease in many cases and I’m here to support patients on that journey as best as possible.”

The radiotherapy centre itself can be found in the heart of Vienna, enjoying close relationships with a team of international cancer experts to help people from all over the world receive the highest standards of care possible through the provision of the most advanced form of cancer therapy.

Also featured in the BLIC news piece was radiation oncology specialist Dr David Kuczer, who has over 20 years of experience in radiation therapy, treating cancerous lesions including breast and prostate cancer.

At the Austria clinic, radiotherapy techniques have been developed to make sure that optimal radiation doses are targeted towards tumours, ensuring that minimal damage is done to surrounding health tissue.

Over the years, we have built up an established network of clinics and work closely with experienced partners to deliver highly coordinated specialist teams for cancer treatment. As such, patients can expect to receive expert care and optimal treatment, inline with international and national guidelines.

To find out more about the different therapy options available and how they could help support you in your cancer journey, get in touch with the Amethyst Austria team today.