The IASLC 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) recently concluded in Vienna, Austria, and by all accounts it was a resounding success. With about 6,500 registrants and multiple NEJM papers timed with its presentations, packed session halls, and many opportunities for side-meetings and collaborative interactions it was clearly a scientific success that reinforced how essential annual meetings are to the IASLC’s mission. Congress President Dr. Pirker and his organizational team should be congratulated for their efforts! Thank you, also, to the IASLC staff for their hard work!
Additionally, Vienna is a stunningly beautiful city in the pre-Christmas season. Attendees were treated to a performance by the Vienna Boys’ Choir – which was amazing. The dinner venues were absolutely beautiful as well, adding great value to the meeting.
At the IASLC 17th WCLC, the IASLC Board of Directors also voted to add two new Board seats: one reserved for a Latin American representative, an increasingly active and important region that has been historically under-represented in the IASLC; and another Board position reserved for Nurses and Allied Health Practitioners, to acknowledge the key role they play in the management of today’s lung cancer patients. These are two steps toward increasing the inclusiveness that has marked our organization since its inception.
We are also in the process of planning our first IASLC immunotherapy meeting in Madrid, Spain at the end of August, as well as annual regional meetings in Asia and South America. We are actively working with our IASLC Foundation to increase the number of grants and travel awards we can give, and we held a fundraiser for the Foundation in Vienna with a performance of Mozart’s Requiem. This concert was performed on the 225th anniversary of the Requiem’s first performance in the same location. It was a sold out show and we are planning other Foundation fund-raising efforts in the coming year to support our research and educational missions. Thank you for your membership and your support of the IASLC this year!
Fred R. Hirsch, IASLC Chief Executive Officer
Dear Colleagues,
This has been a year of tremendous progress for IASLC! We significantly expanded the staff and are proud of the inauguration of our newly-expanded headquarters. With these developments, the IASLC should be well-prepared for further robust developments in the years to come!
We also just had one of our most successful World Conferences in Vienna, with over 6,500 participants. More than 2,000 scientific presentations were given over the course of two days, and we were graced with the presence of two presidents: President Heinz Fischer from Austria and President Tabaré Vázquez from Uruguay. IASLC would like to thank the Congress President, Dr. Robert Pirker, and his organizing committee for the successful implementation of this year’s WCLC. Thank you, also, to the IASLC staff.
The IASLC led the development of a global initiative, The International Staging System (8th Edition), in 2016. The IASLC is also proud of having coordinated the international “PD-L1 IHC Blueprint Project,” a unique partnership between the field’s pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies.
Many of the IASLC’s other activities saw increased attendance rates in 2016. These included various meetings, webinars, and other educational initiatives. We launched the IASLC Lung Cancer News early in the year, which has been a great success. In 2017, this publication will increase from being a quarterly publication to a bi-monthly one.
Funding fellowships and leading the development of the next generation of lung cancer investigators is a core mission for the IASLC, and in 2016 we increased our fellowship portfolio. During the 2015-2016 year, we funded 20 regular fellowships and one large fellowship shared with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. Notably, for this year’s World Conference on Lung Cancer (IASLC 17th WCLC) we were able to give 95 different fellowships, including “Mentored Fellowships,” which include one week post-WCLC stay in a selected host institution. We have also increased fellowships for young investigators from developing countries and for advocates and nurses. Our fellowship portfolio will continue to grow in 2017, including new large fellowships shared with the Lung Cancer Foundation of America and the Addario Foundation.
Some significant strategic decisions have been made this year. Our regional meetings will now be arranged annually (two out of three years in Asia and Latin America). We established a Task Force titled “Quality and Value in Lung Cancer” with the American Society of Clinical Oncology; this is a very important effort. The IASLC also initiated and coordinated the development of a harmonized strategy for November’s Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM). This involved a collaboration between IASLC and 19 different lung cancer advocacy organizations. Based on its very successful first year, we hope to include other geographical regions in 2017, particularly Europe.
This year the IASLC has decided to focus on integrating the mesothelioma scientific community into the IASLC family. This effort has been very successful, and many new activities have already launched. We will continue these efforts in the new year. Last, but certainly not least, the structure of the IASLC Foundation was fully established. The Foundation is designed to support IASLC activities, particularly our Fellowship Program. We hope as many as possible will support the Foundation. Donations of any size are warmly welcomed and can be made at www.iaslc.org/foundation.
It is our great pleasure to wish all the members of the IASLC family a happy and healthy New Year!
IASLC Now Accepting Applications for 2017-2018 Lung Cancer Fellowship and Young Investigator Awards
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is proud to announce the annual IASLC Fellowship and Young Investigators Programs.
Applications are requested for the 2017 - 2018 Fellowship and Young Investigator award cycle. There will be a minimum of three awards of $50,000, each for the duration of one year, with at least one recipient from each region (North America, Europe, and the rest of the world) funded. The funding period will be July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018.
The goal is to reward scientific excellence and to encourage innovative research in lung cancer prevention and translational medicine. Applications will be evaluated by a Scientific Review Panel for their merit, innovation, and potential impact on the management of lung cancer.
Applications Now Being Accepted for the 2017 ALCF-IASLC Joint Fellowship Award for the Early Detection of Lung Cancer
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF), in collaboration with the International Association for the Study or Lung Cancer (IASLC), is pleased to announce their second joint Fellowship Award to support novel, innovative, and translational research with potential of high clinical impact on the early detection of lung cancer.
The joint, international ALCF-IASLC Fellowship award was first instituted in 2015 by the two organizations to support an early career scientist’s training and research on early detection modalities in an established lung cancer research laboratory of their choice, anywhere in the world. ALCF and IASLC have jointly funded an early career scientist in 2016, and are now pleased to announce the request for applications for the second joint award. The deadline to submit applications is March 1, 2017.
IASLC's 17th WCLC a Great Success in Vienna, Austria
The IASLC 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer (IASLC 17th WCLC) took place this year in Vienna, Austria, from December 4-7, 2016. Under the leadership of Dr. Robert Pirker and his organizing committee, the conference was a great success, drawing nearly 6,500 attendees from approximately 100 countries. Over the course of four days, nearly 2,000 scientific presentations were given on a wide-range of topics.
Conference attendees may be eligible to claim CME credit. The IASLC designates this live activity for a maximum of 27 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Finally, please save the date for the IASLC 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC2017). This year's conference will take place October 15-18, 2017, in Yokohama, Japan. Visit the conference's official website for information on the abstract submission process, registration, and more!
Successful Conclusion to the IASLC Fellowship Matching Challenge
Over the past few months, the IASLC Foundation has been running the Fellowship Matching Challenge. From the beginning of October through December 31, 2016, the IASLC Board and the IASLC Foundation Board matched dollar-for-dollar any new or increased donations to the IASLC Foundation.
Thank you to all who made a donation during this challenge period! Leveraged by the challenge, the IASLC Foundation raised over $64,000 during 2016.
All donations to the IASLC Foundation go towards funding new fellowships for promising, young lung cancer researchers. Even though the Challenge is now over, you can still make a donation to the IASLC Foundation. Contributions of any size will help us continue the exciting progress we've made over the past few months and allow for more fellowships to be funded.
IASLC 2016 Member Opinion Survey
The IASLC seeks to receive feedback on Membership benefits, programs, and services. The survey can be completed within 5 minutes and we appreciate as much detailed feedback as you wish to share. Responses are due by February 15, 2017. All survey respondents will be entered into a random drawing to win an Apple iPad!
By now, you should have received the survey in your inbox; please contact us if you have not already received the invitation. Please also note that submissions are anonymous and answers will be desegregated from contact details, unless you choose to provide contact details at the end. We thank you for your support of IASLC and your work to conquer lung cancer. Feel free to contact membership@iaslc.org if you have any questions.
World Cancer Day is February 4, 2017
World Cancer Day (WCD) is February 4, 2017. WCD's goal is to unite the world's population in the fight against cancer.
The campaign "aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about the disease." For more information, visit the campaign's official website or follow it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Academic, Career, Funding Opportunities
As a service to our members, we post opportunities related to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies on our website.
Social media played a large role at this year's IASLC 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC2016), which took place December 4-7, 2016 in Vienna, Austria. Through the combined efforts of IASLC staff members and the active participation of a variety of conference attendees, the official hashtag for the conference, #WCLC2016, trended each day of the conference.
This is a remarkable accomplishment, critical to our goals of raising awareness for the IASLC and lung cancer itself, and indicative of the commitment and passion of those who attended the conference and shared their observations. See more information on how the #WCLC2016 hashtag was utilized at this year's conference and who the top participants were.
For those planning to attend the IASLC 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer, please note that the hashtag will be #WCLC2017. We hope everyone will join us in making the biggest possible impact. Visit the conference's official website for more information.
December 2016 and January 2017: The IASLC and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) are pleased to present the Editor's Choice each month to highlight certain articles of interest. The selected articles will be made available to the public for a limited time upon printing. The articles below from the December 2016 and January 2017 issues of the JTO are free for three months. Please share with your colleagues around the globe!
Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD Editor-in-Chief Journal of Thoracic Oncology
December 2016:
The introduction of immune check point inhibitors into the clinic for lung cancer therapy has brought to the forefront a number of unique immune-related toxicities. Most of these are related to activated T-cells attacking normal “self” organs – a mechanism akin to the syndrome of previously recognized autoimmune diseases. Thus, these toxicities are managed in a similar manner to that of autoimmune diseases. However, up till now, the bulk of clinical experience has been limited to the western societies of Europe and North America. As the use of these agents spread globally with a wide array of infectious pathogens and environmental insults, novel toxicities may be unearthed.
The IASLC mesothelioma staging committee has come up with four articles. Pass and colleagues provide the background and rationale for the staging project in “The IASLC Mesothelioma Staging Project: Improving Staging of a Rare Disease Through International Participation”. This is followed by a series of three articles by Nowak et al, Rice et al and Rusch et al on proposals for the revision of the T, N and M descriptors respectively.
This is the start of a new year and we have broken tradition in the selection of our featured articles. The emergence of MET as a valid target in lung cancer is an unusual story – that of major failures in two large phase III studies, leading to the conventional wisdom that MET was not a valid target in NSCLC, followed years later by the identification of MET skipping mutations and the re-emergence of MET as a potential target for NSCLC therapy. Thus, we have selected four articles dealing with MET.
The following articles were selected from the JTO by the IASLC Communications Committee to be promoted to the media and the public with press releases that were released at the time of online publication (Published Ahead of Print).
To read more IASLC Press Releases, please visit IASLC Research Articles. These press releases are also announced via social media, so please follow IASLC on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to stay up to date on the latest scientific topics. Also please follow the JTO on Twitter and Facebook.
Early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) have a significantly higher rate of local failure after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) than other NSCLC histological subtypes. December 21, 2016 | More
Members - It’s Time to Renew Your Membership for 2017!
All members whose memberships expired December 31, 2016, will receive renewal notices. If you chose a multi-year membership in 2016, your membership will continue uninterrupted.
IASLC has continued the three-year registration options for all categories (except complimentary Fellow Membership). Our three-year option "locks-in" the current membership rates. Regular members will save $150.00 over three years by selecting the Three-Year Membership option ($600.00). Developing Country Members and Allied Health Professionals can avoid potential future increases and not have to renew each year.
We encourage all members to renew early to ensure there is no interruption of benefits such as JTO delivery and online access. Please review the single-year and multi-year options available to you!
Renew IASLC Membership - You will need to log into your account. You can always use the “Forgot Password” option, or contact membership@iaslc.org for additional assistance.
Updating Member Contact Details and Member Directory Preferences
It’s important for the IASLC to keep our records up to date so that members can receive important information via email and post. To ensure that our records are current, the IASLC will be contacting individuals from whom we have received bounced emails or postal mail back to our headquarters.
Additionally, all members will be sent a communication to verify personal details that will be included in the Member Directory. The communication also asks your preferences for delivery of the IASLC Member Directory, which can be mailed to members at no charge. You can also opt-out of print delivery and simply access the online directory at any time.
To make updates to your IASLC account, simply sign into your account. You may also send updates to membership@iaslc.org or call 720-325-2956.
Welcome new IASLC members through December 30, 2016!
The IASLC’s premier journal, emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach including original research (clinical trials and translational or basic research), reviews and opinion pieces.
David Carbone, IASLC President
Fred R. Hirsch, IASLC Chief Executive Officer
IASLC Now Accepting Applications for 2017-2018 Lung Cancer Fellowship and Young Investigator Awards
Challenge 
December 2016 and January 2017: The IASLC and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) are pleased to present the Editor's Choice each month to highlight certain articles of interest. The selected articles will be made available to the public for a limited time upon printing. The articles below from the December 2016 and January 2017 issues of the JTO are free for three months. Please share with your colleagues around the globe! 
