All existing guidelines call for timely determination of molecular parameters relevant for approved targeted and immune treatments of unresectable NSCLC, as Reinhard Büttner, MD, Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Cologne, emphasized.

With 2-year OS of

A key determinant for which type of treatment can be offered to patients with NSCLC is their intrathoracic (mediastinal) nodal status. If the disease has not spread to the ipsilateral mediastinal nodes, subcarinal (N2) nodes, or both, and the patient is otherwise considered fit for surgery (i.e., ‘functional resectability’), resection is often the treatment of choice.

Surgical treatment of patients with early lung cancer is often a challenging task that requires robust preoperative risk assessment as a first step. Wherever possible, pneumonectomy should be avoided, in an attempt to maximally preserve functional capacity, as Khosro Hekmat, MD, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, emphasized.

This report summarizes presentations that were given during the Lung Cancer International Preceptorship Conference that took place in Cologne, Germany, on February 1 and 2, 2018. The University Hospital of Cologne and the Center for Integrated Oncology Köln-Bonn jointly organized this conference, which was addressed to medical oncologists involved in the care of patients with lung cancer.