Extract
Thoracic oncology encompasses a broad spectrum of primary tumour entities originating from various pulmonary, tracheobronchial, pleural, mediastinal and chest wall tissues or distinct cell types within these compartments. Lung cancer represents by far the most frequent malignant tumour within the thoracic cavity, and is the most common type and largest killer among all cancers worldwide. Lung cancer leads mortality statistics in Europe, accounting for at least one fifth of all cancer-related deaths [1]. In addition, lung cancer causes a significant burden of symptoms in a population of patients with high comorbidity, providing significant challenges to national healthcare systems in the European Union, with the highest overall costs among all cancer types [2–4]. Contrary to the general stigma applied to lung cancer patients, where they are often assumed to suffer from a self-inflicted disease, it is now estimated that up to 10–20% of lung cancer patients are never-smokers [5, 6]. Even if numerically far lower, the remaining <5% of primary thoracic malignancies other than lung cancer challenge thoracic oncology specialists, as well general pulmonologists, often in daily practice, be they pleural mesotheliomas, thymic or neuroendocrine tumours, sarcomas or rare entities such as germ-cell tumours [7, 8].
Abstract
The @EuroRespSoc launches a new thoracic oncology continuous professional development programme http://bit.ly/31ShuTp
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: W.H. van Geffen reports a grant from Novartis (an institutional grant for an investigator-initiated trial), outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: T.G. Blum has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: S. Aliberti reports grants and personal fees from Bayer Healthcare, Aradigm Corporation, Grifols, INSMED and Chiesi, personal fees from Astra Zeneca, Basilea, Zambon, Novartis, Raptor, Actavis UK Ltd and Horizon, outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: K.G. Blyth reports a research grant for a pre-edit and edit trial in malignant effusion, plus consultancy work, from Rocket Medical UK Ltd.
Conflict of interest: C. Bostantzoglou has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: A. Farr is an employee of the European Respiratory Society.
Conflict of interest: B. Grigoriu has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: G. Hardavella has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: R.M. Huber reports personal fees from AstraZeneca Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim Germany, BMS Germany, Lilly, Pfizer Germany, Roche Germany, MSD Germany, Takeda, and Celgene, outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: N. Maskell.
Conflict of interest: G. Massard has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: N.M. Rahman reports grants and personal fees from Rocket Medical UK, and personal fees from BD Medical and Lung Therapeutics USA, outside the submitted work.
Conflict of interest: D. Stolz has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: J. van Meerbeeck has nothing to disclose.
- Copyright ©ERS 2019
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