Author of

• 10743

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  P1.10 - Poster Session 1 - Chemotherapy (ID 204)

  • Event: WCLC 2013
  • Type: Poster Session
  • Track: Medical Oncology
  • Presentations: 1
  • Moderators:
  • Coordinates: 10/28/2013, 09:30 - 16:30, Exhibit Hall, Ground Level

  • 10765

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    P1.10-022 - Central European Initiative against Lung Cancer: Results of the Inaugural Workshop (ID 1401)

    09:30 - 09:30  |  Author(s): J. Klastersky
    • Abstract

    Background
    Lung cancer is a major health problem in Central Europe where some of the countries have the world-wide highest incidence rates of this cancer. The CENTRAL EUROPEAN INITIATIVE AGAINST LUNG CANCER aims at decreasing the burden of lung cancer in this region. The Inaugural Workshop of this Initiative was planned in order develop strategies to achieve this goal.

    Methods
    Participation at the Workshop was by invitation and more than 100 lung cancer experts from several Central European Countries and Israel did participate. The participants discussed the current status of lung cancer management and suggested strategies for improvement in the various areas of lung cancer management.

    Results
    The Workshop focused on all aspects of lung cancer. There was agreement that lung cancer is a major health problem in all Central European countries and that improvement in all aspects of lung cancer management must be attempted. Prevention strategies have steadily been improved but remain insufficient in most countries. The potential of screening was recognized but routine implementation of screening was not considered to be feasible in most Central European countries at this time. Access to modern radiological imaging such as PET-CT must be improved in many centers. A future project will assess the accuracy of radiological staging in several hospitals. Molecular diagnosis is increasingly implemented in most countries but patient selection for molecular analyses varies between countries. A major area of discussion was the implementation of standard treatments. Multidisciplinary tumor boards have been established in most centers but participants disagreed on whether all or only selected patients should be presented during tumor board meetings. Concerning stage III NSCLC, great heterogeneity with regard to both staging and treatment has been recognized. A future project plans to assess current management of patients with stage III NSCLC and to define areas for improvement. Access to systemic treatment has improved over the years but timely access to novel and expensive drugs remains challenging in several countries. Strategies to increase the scientific co-operation and education have also been discussed and should increasingly be implemented in the future.

    Conclusion
    The Workshop did outline the current status including challenges in the management of patients with lung cancer in Central Europe. Next projects will assess staging accuracy and detailed treatment of patients with locally advanced NSCLC. Future events such as the 14th Central European Lung Cancer Congress in 2014 and the 17th World Congress on Lung Cancer in 2016 in Vienna should also have a major impact on decreasing the burden of lung cancer in Central European countries.