Cancer Trial Recruitment Activity in Ireland
This page provides figures relating to cancer clinical trial accruals in Ireland. Accruals refer to the number of patients recruited to cancer clinical trials.
The figures presented are for the full calendar year 2025. Comparative data from previous years is included where relevant.
While Cancer Trials Ireland makes every effort to capture recruitment data for all cancer trials active in Ireland, this is not possible in every instance. The figures below are therefore considered representative of more than 95% of cancer clinical trial recruitment activity nationally.
Recruitment figures are presented by disease area and include:
- Interventional studies, including drug, radiotherapy, medical device, surgical, survivorship, diet and exercise trials
- Non-interventional studies, including translational, observational and imaging studies, questionnaires, biobanks and registries
The portfolio includes both academic and industry-sponsored studies.
Please note: interpretation of accrual data requires an understanding of the clinical trials landscape in Ireland, including variations in study design, recruitment targets and portfolio composition. Readers outside the cancer trials community are advised not to interpret these figures in isolation and may contact Cancer Trials Ireland for further context or clarification.
Accrual by Disease Area (DSSG)
| DSSG | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| Basket* | 925 | 924 | 363 | 226 |
| Breast | 868 | 642 | 533 | 520 |
| CNS | 37 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| GI | 33 | 36 | 114 | 106 |
| GU | 145 | 194 | 152 | 87 |
| Gynaecology | 24 | 11 | 14 | 9 |
| Head & Neck | 123 | 163 | 47 | 24 |
| Lung** | 1,846 | 208 | 64 | 45 |
| Lymph & Haem | 611 | 446 | 263 | 410 |
| Melanoma | 64 | 116 | 27 | 22 |
| Paeds | 147 | 46 | 34 | 20 |
| Sarcoma | 76 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 4,926 | 2,814 | 1,614 | 1,470 |
* Basket trials include several different disease areas in one trial.
** 1757 patients are from the Lung Health Check Pilot
Accrual by Study Type
| Study Type | 2025 Full Year |
| AI | 91 |
| Allied Health & Supportive Care | 12 |
| Bespoke 3D printed breast prosthesis | 30 |
| Biobank | 101 |
| Biomedical Cancer Research | 64 |
| De-prescribing | 1 |
| Imaging – Diagnostic low dose CT | 1,757 |
| IMP | 358 |
| IMP/IVDR | 26 |
| IMP/MDR | 5 |
| IMP/RT | 3 |
| Machine learning | 3 |
| Nutrition | 23 |
| Observational | 533 |
| Observational/Registry | 55 |
| Physiotherapy | 95 |
| Quality of life | 4 |
| Questionnaire | 154 |
| Registry | 186 |
| RT | 169 |
| Surgery/RT | 5 |
| Surgical | 15 |
| Survivorship | 83 |
| Translational | 1,153 |
| 4,926 |
Accrual by Trial Site
| Site | All Trials – 2025 Full Year | Interventional | Non-Interventional |
| Beacon | 49 | 10 | 39 |
| Beaumont | 2,319 | 36 | 2283** |
| BonS/UPMC | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| BSHC | 26 | 12 | 14 |
| CHI | 147 | 52 | 95 |
| CUH | 191 | 59 | 132 |
| MMUH/MPH | 113 | 32 | 81 |
| MRTH | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| MWROC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OLH&CS | 150 | 0 | 150 |
| SJH | 136 | 61 | 75 |
| SLRON | 206 | 135 | 71 |
| SUH | 168 | 5 | 163 |
| SVUH | 439 | 77 | 362 |
| TUH | 58 | 30 | 28 |
| UHG | 443 | 164 | 279 |
| UHG/RT | 22 | 14 | 8 |
| UHL | 401 | 1 | 400 |
| UHW | 28 | 18 | 10 |
| UPMC Whit | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 4,926 | 715 | 4,211 |
** 1757 patients are from the Lung Health Check Pilot
Definitions
Interventional Trials:
Studies evaluating an intervention such as a drug, radiotherapy, surgical procedure, medical device, survivorship intervention, exercise programme or dietary intervention.
Non-Interventional Studies:
Studies that do not involve a therapeutic intervention. These include observational, translational and imaging studies, questionnaires, biobanks and registries.
All Trials:
Combined total of all interventional and non-interventional cancer clinical research activity included on this page.