Overview

• FaceAge, a deep learning algorithm, analyzes facial photographs to estimate biological age and predict survival outcomes in cancer patients.
• The tool was validated on 6,196 cancer patients and published in The Lancet Digital Health on May 8, 2025.
• Cancer patients' biological age, as estimated by FaceAge, averaged five years older than their chronological age, correlating with worse survival outcomes.
• Clinicians using FaceAge data significantly improved their short-term life expectancy predictions for palliative radiotherapy patients.
• Researchers are expanding validation efforts to address biases and test the algorithm in broader clinical and real-world settings.