The Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre is leading the Irish contribution to a major new European research initiative aimed at transforming the diagnosis and treatment of rare head and neck cancers.

The project, known as SPELCASTER, brings together world-leading experts from across Europe to develop innovative tools that will enable faster, more accurate diagnosis and personalised treatment strategies for cancers that develop in the nose, sinus area and salivary glands.

Tumours inside the nose, sinus cavities (sinonasal) and salivary glands are rare but aggressive cancers which are often difficult to accurately diagnose due to their visual similarity under the microscope. Current treatment approaches also lack precise predictors of patient response, making it challenging to tailor therapies effectively.

The study aims to address these challenges through a new kind of test that uses chemical markers on DNA to help doctors identify and sort different types of tumors more accurately. This technology, a novel DNA methylation-based classification tool powered by machine learning, will allow researchers to better identify tumour subtypes and predict treatment responses — helping clinicians make more informed decisions at an earlier stage in the patient journey.

Transformative research

The Irish arm of the project will be led by scientists and doctors at the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre with Principal Investigator Dr Sudipto Das, Senior lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, working in collaboration with Clinical Lead Mr Robbie Woods, Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist with specialist interest in Head and Neck Cancer, at Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre.

“This project has the potential to be truly transformative for patients with rare head and neck cancers,” said Dr. Sudipto Das, Principal Investigator. “We are excited to work with our partners across Europe to drive innovation in cancer diagnostics. The project will not only improve clinical care for patients today, but also deepen our understanding of how these tumours behave and evolve over time.”

Mr Robbie Woods, Clinical Lead for the project, said: “By improving how we diagnose these tumours and identifying better biomarkers of response, we can deliver more personalised, timely and effective treatments while sparing patients unnecessary side effects. We look forward to developing collaborations with head and neck cancer patient advocacy groups both in Ireland and in Europe who will play a vital role in informing the ongoing research.”

Professor Fergal O’Brien, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at RCSI, said: “This project exemplifies how scientists and clinicians at the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre are working together to advance research that has real-world impact for cancer patients. I congratulate Dr Das and Mr Woods for leading Ireland’s involvement in this important international collaboration and I look forward to seeing how the findings will help clinicians to provide improved diagnostics and treatments for their patients and improve outcomes for these rare cancers.”

Collaboration

The research project, Standardised Profiling of Epigenetic Loci for decentralized ClAssification of Sinonasal Tumors and idEntification of therapy Response markers (SPELCASTER), is a €1.56 million EU-funded project under the TRANSCAN call. The research is supported in Ireland by the Health Research Board with an award of €349,492.

The project involves leading research institutions including the Charite Universitatemezdin Berlin, Germany; Institute Gustave Roussy, France; Humanitas University, Milan, Italy; Ludwig-Maximillans Universitat, Munich, Germany; and Instituto de Investigacio Sanitiara del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.

For more information about SPELCASTER, visit the official TRANSCAN website.