IASLC 2021 LALCA Schools of Thoracic Oncology Welcome Letter

Blue image with orange lungs and green hexagons

Dear Colleagues and Friends, Sponsors and Exhibitors,

We are delighted to welcome you to the 2021 Latin American Lung Cancer (LALCA) Schools of Thoracic Oncology in its virtual edition this year! This is a worldwide virtual meeting which will be held on December 3-4, 2021.

After dealing with the COVID19 pandemic, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) has tirelessly supported promoting educational events and intellectual interchange on developing scientific data in collaboration with our IASLC-Latin America (LATAM) group. The IASLC-Latin America (LATAM) group have significantly contributed to the success of this process. The IASLC-LATAM group have significantly contributed to the success of these educational efforts and led the organization of the 2021 IASLC/LALCA Schools of Thoracic Oncology.

Lung cancer continues to be a preventable public health problem in LATAM and worldwide. This disease not only has a high prevalence in the region, but also it is the main cause of cancer-related deaths. For these reasons, it is critical that we offer our patients the highest standards of care, the best therapeutic opportunities, and access to the latest research in lung cancer. The LALCA Schools of Thoracic Oncology is an important tool for achieving one of the main goals of our organization: high-quality education to lung cancer clinicians, researchers, patients, caregivers, and advocates.

The history of the LALCA Schools dates to our first meetings in Chile and Costa Rica in 2015. This was followed by the 6th LALCA Congress in Panama in 2016 with the addition of two educational initiatives: the schools of medical oncology and pathology. Since then, given the success of the schools, IASLC-LATAM leadership worked on expanding this, in both LALCA meetings in Argentina 2017 and Mexico 2019.

Today, we are excited to announce that we have several schools of thoracic oncology including: advocacy group, allied health (which includes nursing/pharmacy), pathology, and medical oncology. These LALCA schools represent a unique opportunity to meet international and national experts in the field. It also facilitates incredible opportunities for open discussion on the latest advances in prevention, therapeutic development, and basic/clinical research in thoracic malignancies, and how LATAM countries can play a fundamental role in reducing the burden of this challenging and complex disease. 

The program will discuss important topics in lung cancer such as, but not limited to, early detection, molecular testing, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, and many more. This is a multidisciplinary program, and we invite all healthcare professionals involved in the management and treatment of people affected by lung cancer.

We hope you enjoy the 2021 LALCA Schools of Thoracic Oncology and look forward to meeting in person for the 11th IASLC-LALCA meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2022.

With our best regards,

Luis Raez speaking at podium

Dr. Luis E. Raez,

Chair, IASLC-LATAM Group; Chair, 10th IASLC-LALCA 

 

Ticiana Leal

Dr. Ticiana Leal 

Co-Chair, 10th IASLC-LALCA

Christian Rolfo

Dr. Christian Rolfo 

Co-Chair, IASLC-LATAM Group; Chair, 10th IASLC-LALCA

Edgardo Santos

Dr. Edgardo S. Santos Castillero 

Co-Chair, IASLC-LATAM Group; Chair, 10th IASLC-LALCA

Dr. Edgardo Santos Invites you to the 2021 IASLC LALCA Schools of Thoracic Oncology