Nadia Van Den Berg, ST4, Otolaryngology, Waterford University Hospital, Ireland.
The 4th Annual Irish Head and Neck Society (IHNS) Conference was held in April with huge success, in the idyllic Lyrath Covention Centre with over 200 delegates in attendance.
After a warm welcome address by IHNS President, Professor Patrick Sheahan, the conference was opened with the inaugural Laryngology Section. Guest speakers included Elisabeth Sjögren, Berit Schneider-Stickler, Gerard Thong, Cesare Piazza, and Christian Simon. A variety of complex topics were discussed including surgical rehabilitation of the paralysed vocal cord, management of bilateral vocal cord paralysis, pharyngeal pouches and subglottic stenosis and finally optimal management of T1 laryngeal cancer. The first evening finished with a relaxed networking drinks reception, held in the Lyrath Hotel.
Professor Patrick Sheahan and Professor Cesare Piazza.
Day two began with captivating talks from Hisham Mehanna on de-escalation trials in oropharyngeal cancer, then Brian O’Sullivan on updates in the 9th Edition of the UICC/AJCC guidelines. This was followed by presentations from Lisette van der Molen and Aileen Ryan on lymphoedema management, then as Petri Koivunen on patient selection for curative versus palliative treatment. The keynote address, delivered by Heikki Irjala, tackled the challenging question: What is the standard of care for head and neck cancer in 2025?
The "Good Vibrations" Laryngectomy Choir.
Lunch featured a moving performance by the ‘Good Vibrations’ Laryngectomy Choir, led by Trish Rooney, as well as oral e-poster presentations. This was followed by Umamaheswar Duvvuri and Steven Cannady delivering fascinating talks on the management of oropharyngeal cancer, specifically the role of robotics in this area and reconstruction post-resection of T3/T4 cancers. Ann Sandison closed the section with insight into the pathologist’s perspective on oropharyngeal margins in robotic surgery. Neil Gross gave the next keynote address on the evolving management of advanced, resectable, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and the day was concluded with an engrossing tumour board discussion. The evening was then kicked-off with an unforgettable night of food, conversation, and – most importantly – connection between old friends and new!
Ms Caoimhe Mulgrew, Dr Eleanor O’Sullivan, Dr Grainne O’Keeffe, Mr John Kinsella, Prof Patrick Sheahan.
Saturday commenced with a variety of free papers from both national and international centers, followed by further pathology expertise from Ann Sandison on oral dysplasia. Lisette van der Molen discussed the Amsterdam Head and Neck Rehabilitation Program and, after a brief coffee break, Andrew Schache and Leila Mady delivered enlightening talks on emerging neo-adjuvant treatments. The meeting was closed with an exceptional talk from Ian Ganly on oral cancer in young non-smokers. Best oral free paper presentation was awarded to Grainne O’Keeffe for her paper on ‘Integration of Molecular Testing into the Decision-Making Algorithm for Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules’ and best oral e-poster presentation was awarded to Caoimhe Mulgrew for her presentation entitled, ‘Waiting for My Voice: Developing a Collaborative Patient-centred Pathway to Reduce Wait Times for Patients Post Laryngectomy Awaiting Voice Acquisition’, with thanks to the Irish Cancer Society for providing these awards.
Prof Christian Simon, Prof Heikki Irjala, Prof Umamaheswar Duvvuri, Prof Steven Cannady (far right).
As the 2025 conference has proven, the IHNS Conference has truly developed into a world-class multi-disciplinary meeting. The IHNS Conference will take place again next year, and will certainly be an unmissable event.
For more information regarding the Irish Head and Neck Society, please visit: https://theihns.com/
