58MO - Advancing salivary gland cancer research: A multidisciplinary approach to addressing the unmet clinical need

Background

Salivary Gland Cancer (SGC) represents a significant area of unmet clinical need, with challenges throughout diagnosis and treatment. As a rare and diverse set of cancers, SGC necessitates a multi-institutional, multidisciplinary approach to effectively address the gaps in research and clinical care. The SGC UK Research Working Group (RWG), formed in 2024, brings together experts from various specialties to collaborate and set research objectives aimed at improving patient outcomes.

Methods

The RWG conducted an initial in-person meeting in March 2024, followed by an online voting process in May to rank research priorities. In July, the top four priorities were discussed in detail, and workstreams were established. These workstreams were reviewed and refined during an in-person October meeting, which included the recruitment of new members and updates from each group.

Results

The RWG established four workstreams to tackle each research priority: 1, Collating/reviewing existing national/international SGC guidelines to identify areas of consensus and gaps, with an initial focus on radiotherapy; 2, Investigating the variation in histopathology reporting across UK centres, and collecting data to inform development of larger studies; 3, Exploring patient experiences and developing a core outcome set for decision-making in high-morbidity surgeries; 4, Analysing diagnostic pathways through a patient survey to identify challenges in primary care and referral practices. Research across all four workstreams involves data collection, consensus building, and collaboration with external stakeholders including clinical institutions, patient groups and healthcare professionals.

Conclusions

The RWG is advancing in its mission to address critical research needs in SGC. Through a series of meetings and online discussions, we identified four key areas requiring urgent attention. By focusing on existing guidelines, histopathology accuracy, decision-making processes, and diagnostic pathways, the group aims to improve clinical outcomes for SGC patients. Ongoing collaboration and the development of evidence-based recommendations will guide future research, with a goal to influence clinical practice and policy.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

Salivary Gland Cancer UK.

Funding

Salivary Gland Cancer UK.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.