MD, PhD Heikki Irjala - UTU Research Portal

Heikki Irjala
MD, PhD

- Professor,
Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (Department of Clinical Medicine)

heikki.irjala@utu.fi

Savitehtaankatu 5

Turku

: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3054-4677

Otorhinolaryngology; Head and neck surgery; Cancer research

2002 PhD thesis "An Immunotherapeutic Approach to Cancer of the Head and Neck"

2009 Specialist in Otorhinolaryngology

2014 Adjunct Professor of Otorhinolaryngology

2015 Specialist in Head and Neck Surgery

2017 Special Competence in Medical Education

Research is focused on cancer of the head and neck including both clinical aspects (quality of life, treatment methods and outcome, diagnostics, etc.) and basic science like cancer immunology and cell trafficking.

Clinical lecturer (Otorhinolaryngology) 2012-2015

Personal teacher mentor for medical students from 2012

Supervisor of several PhD students

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Added value of HPV-DNA in situ hybridization as an adjunct to p16 Immunohistochemistry in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (2025)
- Acta Oto-Laryngologica
Nissi, Linda; Huusko, Teemu; Routila, Johannes; Vaittinen, Samuli; Leivo, Ilmo; Irjala, Heikki; Ventela, Sami
Diverse oncogenes use common mechanisms to drive growth of major forms of human cancer (2025)
- Science Advances
Kauko, Otto; Turunen, Mikko; Pihlajamaa, Päivi; Häkkinen, Antti; Queiroz, Rayner M. L.; Pääkkönen, Mirva; Ventelä, Sami; Gaetani, Massimiliano; Lundström, Susanna L.; Murgia, Antonio; Sahu, Biswajyoti; Routila, Johannes; Wei, Gong-Hong; Irjala, Heikki; Griffin, Julian L.; Lilley, Kathryn S.; Kivioja, Teemu; Hautaniemi, Sampsa; Taipale, Jussi
Evaluation of Integrin Glycovariants as Biomarkers of Metastasis, Invasion, and Therapy Stratification in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (2025)
- Cancer Medicine
Routila, Erica; Salminen, Sadie; Mahran, Randa; Toriseva, Mervi; Irjala, Heikki; Haapio, Eeva; Kytö, Eero; Ventelä, Sami; Pettersson, Kim; Routila, Johannes; Gidwani, Kamlesh; Leivo, Janne
LIMA1-alpha staining predicts curative intent surgery response in HPV negative head and neck cancer (2025)
- Embo molecular medicine
Qiao, Xi; Routila, Johannes; Tienhaara, Mari; Irjala, Heikki; Santhi, Priyadharshini Parimelazhagan; Huusko, Teemu; Nissi, Linda; Paatero, Ilkka; Lehtinen, Noora; Rantala, Juha; Viljanen, Toni; Leivo, Ilmo; Koivunen, Petri; Jouppila-Matto, Anna; Taulu, Rami; Back, Leif; Wilkman, Tommy; Haapio, Eeva; Kinnunen, Ilpo; Kurppa, Kari; Westermarck, Jukka; Ventelä, Sami
MRI-based risk factors for intensive care unit admissions in acute neck infections (2025)
- European Journal of Radiology Open
Vierula, Jari-Pekka; Merisaari, Harri; Heikkinen, Jaakko; Happonen, Tatu; Siren, Aapo; Velhonoja, Jarno; Irjala, Heikki; Soukka, Tero; Mattila, Kimmo; Nyman, Mikko; Nurminen, Janne; Hirvonen, Jussi
Risk factors and preventive measures for severe orofacial and neck infections: a three-year observational study (2025)
- BMC Oral Health
Velhonoja, Jarno; Lääveri, Meira; Soukka, Tero; Haatainen, Saara; Al-Neshawy, Noora; Kinnunen, Ilpo; Irjala, Heikki
Validation of the Finnish MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) in patients with head and neck cancer (2025)
- Scientific Reports
Ranta, Pihla; Kinnunen, Ilpo; Irjala, Heikki
Assessment of targeted therapy opportunities in sinonasal cancers using patient-derived functional tumor models (2024)
- Translational Oncology
Lehtinen Noora, Suhonen Janne, Rice Kiesha, Välimäki Eetu, Toriseva Mervi, Routila Johannes, Halme Perttu, Rahi Melissa, Irjala Heikki, Leivo Ilmo, Kallajoki Markku, Nees Matthias, Kuopio Teijo, Ventelä Sami, Rantala Juha K.
Identification of stemness-related glycosylation changes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (2024)
- BMC Cancer
Routila Erica, Mahran Randa, Salminen Seppo, Irjala Heikki, Haapio Eeva, Kytö E, Ventelä Sami, Petterson Kim, Routila Johannes, Gidwani Kamlesh, Leivo Janne
Odontogenic neck abscesses caused by Streptococcus anginosus group bacteria: emergency MRI findings (2024)
- Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology
Lääveri, Meira; Heikkinen, Jaakko; Happonen, Tatu; Sirén, Aapo; Nurminen, Janne; Vierula, Jari-Pekka; Velhonoja, Jarno; Irjala, Heikki; Soukka, Tero; Mattila, Kimmo; Gunell, Marianne; Snäll Johanna; Hirvonen, Jussi
Psychosocial factors and patient and healthcare delays in large (class T3-T4) oral, oropharyngeal, and laryngeal carcinomas (2024)
- BMC Cancer
Atula, Markus; Atula, Timo; Aro, Katri; Irjala, Heikki; Halme, Elina; Jouppila-Mättö, Anna; Koivunen, Petri; Wilkman, Tommy; Mäkitie, Antti; Elovainio, Marko; Pulkki-Råback, Laura
Simultaneous p53 and p16 Immunostaining for Molecular Subclassification of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas (2024)
- Head and Neck Pathology
Pakkanen, Pihla; Silvoniemi, Antti; Aro, Katri; Bäck, Leif; Irjala, Heikki; Aaltonen, Leena-Maija; Hagström, Jaana; Haglund, Caj; Laine, Jukka; Minn, Heikki; Huvila, Jutta
xCT as a Predictor for Survival in a Population‐Based Cohort of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (2024)
- Cancer Medicine
Nissi, Linda; Tuominen, Sanni; Routila, Johannes; Huusko, Teemu; Ketonen, Petra; Sundvall, Maria; Leivo, Ilmo; Irjala, Heikki; Minn, Heikki; Grönroos, Tove J.; Ventelä, Sami
Circulating Tumor DNA in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Association with Metabolic Tumor Burden Determined with FDG-PET/CT (2023)
- Cancers
Silvoniemi A, Laine J, Aro K, Nissi L, Back L, Schildt J, Hirvonen J, Hagström J, Irjala H, Aaltonen LM, Seppänen M, Minn H
MRI of acute neck infections: evidence summary and pictorial review (2023)
- Insights into imaging
Hirvonen Jussi, Heikkinen Jaakko, Nyman Mikko, Happonen Tatu, Velhonoja Jarno, Irjala Heikki, Soukka Tero, Mattila Kimmo, Nurminen Janne
Patient and health care delays in large (class T3-T4) oral, oropharyngeal, and laryngeal carcinomas (2023)
- Head and Neck
Atula Markus, Aro Katri, Irjala Heikki, Halme Elina, Jouppila-Mättö Anna, Koivunen Petri, Wilkman Tommy, Blomster Henry, Mäkitie Antti, Atula Timo
Pictorial Review of MRI Findings in Acute Neck Infections in Children (2023)
- Children
Nurminen Janne, Heikkinen Jaakko, Happonen Tatu, Nyman Mikko, Sirén Aapo, Vierula Jari-Pekka, Velhonoja Jarno, Irjala Heikki, Soukka Tero, Ivaska Lauri, Mattila Kimmo, Hirvonen Jussi
Programmed death-ligand 1 and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) - low TIL density may predict poorer long-term prognosis in T1 laryngeal cancer (2023)
- Virchows Archiv
Pakkanen Pihla, Ilmarinen Taru, Halme Elina, Irjala Heikki, Koivunen Petri, Pukkila Matti, Ventelä Sami, Almangush Alhadi, Birkman Eva-Maria, Lindgren Outi, Pohjolainen Virva, Sjöblom Nelli, Haglund Caj, Hagström Jaana, Aaltonen Leena-Maija
Suunielusyöpä ja elämänlaatu (2023)
- Duodecim
Ranta Pihla, Irjala Heikki, Minn Heikki, Kinnunen Ilpo
The effect of matrices on the gene expression profile of patient-derived head and neck carcinoma cells for in vitro therapy testing (2023)
- Cancer Cell International
Hyytiäinen Aini, Korelin Katja, Toriseva Mervi, Wilkman Tommy, Kainulainen Satu, Mesimäki Karri, Routila Johannes, Ventelä Sami, Irjala Heikki, Nees Matthias, Al-Samadi Ahmed, Salo Tuula