April Awareness: Head and neck cancers

April is Head and Neck cancer awareness month.

Perhaps not the most widely-publicised cancer type, it was mentioned in a profile article in the UK Institute of Cancer Research’s newsletter, Search. With the ICR’s permission, here are some of the key points from the article.

The profile in question was on Dr. Ben O’Leary, who has been leading the recently-created Evolution and Translational Genomics Group since July of last year. The team primarily investigates how head and neck cancers – which include cancers that affect the throat, mouth and voice box – evolve and develop resistance to treatment. Through their research, Dr O’Leary and his team aim to identify smarter, more effective therapies.

Head and neck cancers are often aggressive in nature and are among the most challenging to treat as we lack understanding of how they develop resistance to therapy. Taken as a group, they represent the fourth most common cancer in UK men, as an example. There are 500 000 new cases per year and 200 000 related deaths globally each year (World Head and Neck Cancer Coalition).

With incidence rates projected to rise by 3% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040 (Cancer Research UK) there has been little progress in curative treatment over the past 30 years. Once the cancer recurs, which happens in 40% of high-risk cases, survival rates drop to an average of just 12 months, highlighting the urgent need for continued innovation in the field.

Dr O’Leary is focusing on how these cancers evolve before, during and after treatment. His team is currently exploring why some tumours respond well to radiotherapy while others start with or develop resistance. This knowledge will prove critical for improving existing treatments – such as surgery, radiotherapy and immunotherapy – and developing newer strategies, such as combination treatments.

 The Evolution and Translational Genomics Group is also developing new technologies to predict treatment outcomes. For instance, analysing tumour DNA in the blood can provide insight into how the cancer evolves, its behaviour under radiotherapy and why tumours do not respond to certain treatments in some patients.

 Dr O’Leary explains: “Imagine being able to confidently decide the suitable course of action for a patient. If we can predict what radiotherapy will or will not cure, we can spare patients from major surgery, possibly preserving their speech. Equally, we can avoid using radiotherapy where it won’t work.”

The team is exploring how combined radiotherapy and immunotherapy could enhance patient outcomes. Uncovering why certain treatments succeed or fail in certain individuals could lead to more targeted and effective combination therapies.

Dr O’Leary says there is real momentum behind his team’s groundbreaking research: ”We share an optimistic vision for smarter oncology treatments. Our work is about tailoring treatments to each patient, avoiding unnecessary interventions and improving outcomes wherever possible. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that our science is so closely tied to making a real difference for patients.”

Head and neck cancer’s awareness ribbon colour is burgundy or ivory – you could perhaps wear one of our natural-coloured organic beanies in support? Check them out in our shop.