WCLC 2023 – Singapore
Lecture Board: Maximilian Hochmair, MD
Medical Writer: Judith Moser, MD
Publishing Editor: Anna Fenzl, PhD
Preface – WCLC 2023
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) was held in Singapore and virtually from 9th to 12th September. This prestigious event served as a global gathering point uniting over 6,000 renowned international scientists, researchers, and devoted patient advocates.
Detection and treatment of early-stage lung cancer: recent insights
Given the high incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer in Taiwan and the established association between survival and disease stage at diagnosis, the Taiwanese national early detection program for lung cancer was launched in July 2022 with the aim of increasing the proportion of tumors identified at an early stage using low-dose CT (LDCT).
Improved anti-EGFR strategies and other targeted innovations
In the first-line setting of EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC, EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as the third-generation agent osimertinib have been established as the standard of care, although treatment is followed by disease progression in most patients. Data on the combined administration of EGFR TKIs with chemotherapy suggest enhanced efficacy.
Refining first-line regimens for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer
Improving long-term survival remains an unmet need in the setting of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). This might be attributed at least in part to the complexity of the tumor microenvironment, which is characterized by immunosuppression, angiogenesis and vascularization.
Trop-2–directed ADCs in conjunction with immunotherapy: EVOKE-02 and TROPION-Lung04
Immune checkpoint inhibitor-based regimens have been established as the standard-of-care first-line treatment in the setting of metastatic NSCLC. However, novel combination approaches are called for to further improve outcomes.
MARS 2: no benefit of decortication in early-stage malignant mesothelioma
Surgery in the form of maximum cytoreduction is recommended to reduce all visible disease in the setting of resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. Extra-pleural pleurectomy/decortication has been established as the predominant approach offered worldwide.
Proposals for the 9th edition of the TNM classification
The 8th edition of the TNM classification of lung cancers has been in effect since 2017. These recommendations have been summarized in publications issued by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
EXPERT VIDEOS
All video interviews from virtual WCLC 2023
In this exclusive video interview Paul Van Schil, the current president-elect of the IASLC, provides insights into projects that will be at the focus of the IASLC in the near future and explains notable challenges regarding collaborative science and global education, which are part of the IASLC’s strategic plan. Furthermore, he shares his thoughts on improving accessibility to multidisciplinary care at the global level, the optimal first-line therapy for patients with pleural mesothelioma and his personal highlights from the WCLC 2023 congress.
Yasushi Goto discusses the effects of delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) expression status on clinical outcomes in treated patients with small-cell lung cancer, explains in which ways DLL3 can be used as a direct target for treatment and highlights the challenges and future perspectives regarding DLL3-directed therapies in patients with SCLC. Lastly, he shares his thoughts on the optimal first-line therapy for patients with pleural mesothelioma.