INSICA – About us

The INSICA-Brain Network (we recently extended this network to include brain cancers – International Network for Research on Sinonasal Cancer, Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Skull Base Tumors and Brain Cancers) is a non-hierarchical, multi-disciplinary, multi-national collaboration of physicians, surgeons, scientists and centers of excellence around the world.

We value equality, diversity and inclusion and focus on scientific output with the highest possible impact for our patients and the field.

We offer a platform for international collaboration under the umbrella of an IRB approval for multi- center data analysis from the University College London IRB/Research Ethics Committee with further local approval from all institutions. This allows us to publish the largest datasets on sinonasal cancers, nasopharyngeal cancer, skull base tumors and brain cancers in order to inform on clinical outcomes, improved staging systems and novel biomarkers.

Our aim is that the network’s collaborative research output (below publications) guide national and international organizations when establishing updated guidelines on the diagnosis and management of these malignancies. Moreover, INSICA-Brain has also been advocating the harmonisation of prospective data collection between various large collaborations with the aim to create even larger, global datasets on many orphan diseases.

Resulting guidelines may differ between high-income countries and low and middle-income countries (LMICs) based on local resources and differences in the way healthcare is provided. We make every effort to include data from LMICs and work closely with friends and colleagues, health care providers and charitable organizations (foundations), such as the Association for the Global Advancement of ENT Surgery and Head and Neck Cancer Research (AGA-ENT; www.aga-ent.org) in order to provide the relevant data on companion diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers locally.

As the INSICA-Brain Network, we have already published key publications, e.g. on the largest datasets on olfactory neuroblastoma, sinonasal melanoma, etc. published, to date. Please see links below. 

Ongoing and published work by INSICA: