Various advantages have been described for nab-paclitaxel, the albumin-bound, solvent-free, nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel. Phase II data showed favorable results in patients with pretreated advanced NSCLC who obtained an ORR of 32 % and median PFS of 5 months.

Until recently, no randomized phase III trials have demonstrated OS improvement in patients with relapsed malignant mesothelioma. PD-1 inhibition with single-agent nivolumab has shown activity in three phase II studies, one of which led to the approval of nivolumab in Japan.

All of us agree that LDCT is effective and should be widely implemented. I would say that cost and awareness are the two major issues that are impeding the implementation of LDCT all over the world. Cost-effectiveness of LDCT has been demonstrated by many publications; and there are even other arguments in favor of the cost-effectiveness of this technology.

Substantial OS and PFS improvements have led to the implementation of the regimen evaluated in the KEYNOTE-189 trial as standard first-line approach for stage IV non-squamous NSCLC without sensitizing EGFR/ALK alterations.

A novel approach for targeting lung tumors with small-cell histology consists in the inhibition of transactivated transcription, as small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) has been found to be a transcription-addicted malignancy. Rudin et al. defined four molecular SCLC subtypes according to their differential expression of four key transcription regulators.

Antibody-drug conjugates have opened up an entirely new paradigm. Targeted therapy requires specific mutations, and immunotherapy only works if the tumor expresses neoantigens or is essentially able to respond to these agents. As we know, these two approaches do not work forever, not every patient responds to them, and certainly not every patient has a targetable mutation.

EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations are found in approximately 5 % to 12 % of EGFR-mutated NSCLC tumors, i.e., in 2 % of all NSCLC cases. They represent the third most common EGFR mutation after L858R and exon 19 deletion. However, EGFR TKIs cannot be used to treat lung cancer with exon 20 insertions as they are insensitive to these drugs due to steric hindrance at the TKI-binding site.

The KRAS p.G12C mutation is a key oncogenic driver occurring in approximately 13 % of lung adenocarcinomas and is associated with poor patient outcomes. The first-in-class, highly selective and irreversible KRAS^G12C inhibitor sotorasib has shown durable clinical benefit in a cohort of 59 heavily pretreated patients with NSCLC included in phase I of the CodeBreaK 100 study.

Approximately 30 % of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) present with resectable disease at diagnosis. Surgery with curative intent is the recommended treatment here, followed by adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy in stage II/IIIA and select cases of stage IB disease. However, recurrence rates remain high across disease stages, regardless of postoperative chemotherapy use.

The 2020 World Conference of Lung Cancer (WCLC) originally scheduled for August 2020 in Singapore had to be postponed to January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was finally held as a worldwide virtual conference from 28^th to 31^st January. WCLC, which is the leading gathering of international scientists, researchers and ­patient advocates in the field of lung cancer and thoracic malignancies, continues to provide a forum to connect, share knowledge and learn about the latest developments in the research and treatment of these diseases.