TY - JOUR T1 - <em>Breathe</em> contributes to the ERS Action Plan for Thoracic Oncology JF - Breathe JO - breathe SP - 219 LP - 220 DO - 10.1183/20734735.026010 VL - 7 IS - 3 AU - A-P. Meert Y1 - 2011/03/01 UR - http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/7/3/219.abstract N2 - Every year, 3.2 million Europeans are diagnosed with cancer. Lung cancer is the most common cancer in men, both worldwide and in the EU (European Union), killing ∼240,000 EU citizens yearly. Both incidence and mortality differ by sex and vary considerably among EU member states [1] reflecting the patterns of the tobacco pandemic model. Smoking (active or passive) causes ∼90% of all lung cancers. This makes lung cancer the single largest avoidable cause of death in the EU. Apart from avoiding inhalation of tobacco smoke, there is currently little or no evidence for other effective preventive strategies. In most EU countries, lung cancer incidence and mortality rates among men are higher than for women [1]. While these rates are now slowly declining in men, they are increasing in women. This observation is also linked to the smoking habits. In addition to lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma is an emerging thoracic … ER -