The Southern Health and Social Care Trust (Irish: Iontaobhas Sláinte agus Cúraim Shóisialaigh an Deiscirt) provides health and social care services in Northern Ireland. It runs Craigavon Area Hospital, Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry, Lurgan Hospital and South Tyrone Hospital as well as Armagh Community Hospital and St Luke's Hospital in Armagh. St Luke's provides mental health services. Daisy Hill Hospital emergency department is under threat because of difficulty in retaining staff. The trust serves an estimated population of 380,312 (June 2017 estimates).
Lung transplantation (LTx) is the definitive treatment for advanced fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD), but referral timing remains challenging. Data on outcomes of Northern Ireland (NI) patients referred for LTx are limited. In this multicentre retrospective cohort study, all ILD referrals for LTx from the five NI healthcare trusts between January 2014 and March 2024 were analysed. Demographic, clinical, lung function and transplant outcome data were extracted from electronic health records. Patients were classified according to transplant assessment and listing outcomes. One hundred thirty-eight patients were referred (median age 60.5 years; 64.5
BACKGROUND:Retropharyngeal lymph node (RPN) involvement in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) may influence prognosis, staging, radiotherapy target volumes, and treatment strategy. However, its true prevalence and association with clinicopathological factors remain incompletely defined. METHODS:A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 statement. MEDLINE, EMBASE, EMCARE, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched from database inception to 15 June 2026. Studies reporting radiological or pathological assessment of retropharyngeal lymph node (RPN) involvement in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) were included. Pooled prevalence estimates were calculated using a random-effects model, with subgroup analyses according to tumour stage, nodal status, HPV status, and primary tumour subsite. RESULTS:Fourteen studies comprising 8,887 patients were included. The pooled prevalence of RPN involvement was (95% CI 11-16%; 95% PI 6-24%), with substantial heterogeneity. HPV-negative tumours demonstrated higher prevalence than HPV-positive tumours (21% vs 11%). Prevalence increased with advancing T stage, from 2% in T1 to 18% in T4 disease, and was higher in node-positive than node-negative disease (16% vs 1%). Tonsillar primaries showed higher prevalence than base of tongue tumours (14% vs 8%). Among patients with RPN involvement, the pooled distant metastasis rate was 16%. CONCLUSION:RPN metastases were identified in approximately one in eight patients with OPSCC and were more frequent in HPV-negative disease, advanced stage, and tonsillar primaries. These findings support careful evaluation of the retropharyngeal space during staging and may assist risk stratification in selected higher-risk patients.
