The 2025 Irish Research Radiation Oncology Group Conference was hosted in the Alex Hotel, Dublin on 28th November 2025. We were delighted to welcome over 120 clinicians, physicists, radiation therapists, nurses, researchers, funders, and patient partners, joining both online and in person. The atmosphere throughout the day was vibrant, energised by a shared sense that radiation oncology research in Ireland has entered a bold new phase of growth, visibility, and national significance.
A Day Framed by Progress and Purpose
The morning opened with a warm address from our former Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny, whose support underscored the national importance of cancer research and the central role radiotherapy plays in Irish cancer care. His words set the tone for a day centred on collaboration, innovation, and ambition for a stronger research landscape.
“…625 people on clinical trials to date and 254 this year. That is progress, it’s a saving for the country, it gives patients the opportunity to get the best of attention with modern trials and modern drugs. That is all in the interest of life and living, there is no more noble cause.” – Mr. Enda Kenny
Key Acheivements
The opening session highlighted the remarkable progress IRROG has achieved. In her opening presentation, Prof Sinéad Brennan reflected on IRROG’s development from its inception, outlining how the group has tripled clinical trial recruitment and doubled the number of open trials nationally, while building a culture of shared quality standards, research leadership, and multidisciplinary engagement.
“We’re really seeing improvements in all our sites around the country and this is what we really wanted to do. We wanted to achieve this together for all of our patients no matter where they receive their radiotherapy treatment.” – Professor Sinead Brennan
From Clinic to Concept to Trial
Róisín O Maolalai, IRROG manager spoke about the process involved in transformation of trial concepts into high-impact trials. She discussed why investigator initiated trials, trials designed with our specific patient cohort in mind tend to succeed because they are designed to answer a question that is important to our patients. She spoke about the new stream of low risk interventional studies which are planned to open in 2026 and how these trials will open across the country and allow more patients the opportunity to participate in clinical trials.
“If we come up against an area with a lack of evidence then it is up to us to design a trial to answer this question.” – Roisin O Maolalai
The Future of Radiation Oncology Research
Professor Gerry Hanna spoke about the future of radiation oncology research and how our focus may shift from the traditional emphasis on geometrical precision in radiotherapy delivery towards embracing the biological complexity of cancer and the opportunities this presents for truly personalised radiotherapy.
“What does the future of radiation oncology research look like? It’s here…we have a wonderful group of people. I’ve never seen such a bright group of people concentrated in one small country. We have this amazing ability to change the world, so let’s change the world.” – Professor Gerry Hanna
The National Clinical Trial Oversight Group
Professor Donal Brennan presented the recommendations of the National Clinical Trial Oversight Group. He referenced how, historically, international trials opened late in their lifecycle, meaning Ireland often missed opportunities for patient recruitment. He presented the recommendations of the National Clinical Trial Oversight Group including the target of 42 days from contract to trial opening.
The overarching goals emerging from this work are centred on:
-
Clinical benefit, ensuring that trial activity directly improves patient outcomes
-
Patient and public involvement, embedding lived experience into trial design
-
System-wide improvements and national equity, ensuring that “the man in Belmullet or the woman in Bray” has equal access to clinical trials
Role Development within our Clinical Trials Units
Erica Bennett spoke about advanced practice radiation therapists within research. She highlighted the importance of mentorship and structured learning, noting that autonomy and responsibility should expand in tandem with growing professional capability. She also highlighted that advanced practice in radiation therapy is never static, emphasising the need for continuous evolution and professional growth within the field.
“We need radiation therapists invested in clinical research. There is no radiotherapy without radiation therapists and if we get this wrong, we can never hope to address the unmet needs of people with cancer” – Erica Bennett
Investing in Impact – Funding & Support for Academic Research
Chaired by Professor Sinead Brennan, this session featured important contributions from national funders and research partners:
-
Angela Clayton-Lea (Cancer Trials Ireland) – Next-Generation Clinical Trials: Efficiency with Quality
-
Claire Kilty (Irish Cancer Society) – Supporting Academic Radiation Oncology Research
-
Fiona Manning (Health Research Board) – HRB Funding Opportunities
These contributors shared insights into the opportunities available for academic researchers and discussed the importance of sustained investment to maintain national momentum.
Public and Patient Involvement
Mr. Martin Sweeney and Mr. Jim Blighe joined Vítor Oliveira (Research CNM1, SLRON) and Róisín O Maolalaí (IRROG Manager) for a thoughtful panel discussion on the importance of meaningfully embedding Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) within research.
Jim opened by defining public and patient involvement:
“The patient or the public representative being involved as a real partner or contributor to the research. It isn’t just the simplistic idea of giving the patient a Patient Information Leaflet or other patient facing documentation to review, it should be far more meaningful than that and it means involving the patient voice from as early a stage in the research as is possible.” – Mr. Jim Blighe
Adding Relevance to our Research Activities
They emphasised that patients do not need to be experts to participate in PPI, a patient’s lived experience alone uniquely positions them to contribute in ways that enrich and strengthen cancer research.
Martin reflected on his own experience leading a research project with Cancer Trials Ireland, noting that researchers need to understand the importance of involving patients in research at all levels.
“There are huge benefits, huge win-wins in involving patients at the earliest possible stage in your trials and trials concepts. Patients will always add a relevance to the research you are conducting.” – Mr. Martin Sweeney
Clinical Trial Design and Radiotherapy Quality Assurance
The day included talks from leading international experts in clinical trial quality assurance and radiation oncology trial design.
Patty Diez, from the UK RTTQA group, spoke about how clinical trial quality assurance can drive improvements in the quality of radiotherapy planning and delivery for all patients in centres which regularly participate in clinical trials.
Professor Nina Sandford highlighted the importance of designing radiotherapy clinical trials with endpoints that are aligned with the mechanism of radiotherapy, suggesting that future studies may shift focus from overall survival to local control as a primary endpoint. She emphasised the value of multidisciplinary collaboration in advancing trial design, noting:
“I think success is highly dependent on multidisciplinary collaboration, really again emphasising optimization of patient centred outcomes.” – Professor Nina Sandford
Inspiring Leadership
The event concluded with inspiring talks from Professor Aisling Barry and the international keynote speaker Professor Laura Dawson, Based at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto and a leading experts in liver stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). Both speakers underscored the pivotal role of clinical trials in driving practice change, highlighting how sustained research efforts have led to the integration of SABR into treatment guidelines for liver cancer patients. As Prof Dawson reflected,
“Advanced radiation technologies have opened up the opportunity for radiation to play a really important role in many GI cancers…Finally radiation is in guidelines so it’s possible to make a difference and really change outcomes for patients.” – Professor Laura Dawson
A big thank you
The IRROG Annual Conference 2025 was more than a meeting; it was a reaffirmation of Ireland’s commitment to world-class radiotherapy research. Delegates left energised, connected, and inspired by the depth of expertise showcased throughout the day.
With strong national leadership, vibrant multidisciplinary collaboration, and growing international recognition, IRROG is poised to continue shaping a future in which every patient in Ireland benefits from cutting-edge radiotherapy research.
We would like to extend sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this year’s success, in particular we would like to acknowledge the incredible work of Kathleen and Siobhan at Croi Ireland who helped to organise the event.