Development and Internal Evaluation of AI-Assisted Cervical Muscle-Based Scores (FUNC-RISK) in Head and Neck Cancer: A Pilot Study

FUNC-RISK provides preliminary evidence of clinically meaningful prognostic stratification based on AI-derived cervical muscle quantity and quality metrics obtained from routine radiotherapy-planning CT scans. These exploratory results support the potential role of automated body-composition analysis in personalized risk assessment for HNC, although external multicenter validation is required before clinical implementation.