Each year, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) presents the Heine H. Hansen (HHH) Award to an investigator in recognition of their contributions to research and education in the field of thoracic oncology. The award was established in 2015 by the IASLC and ESMO to honor Heine H. Hansen’s lifelong contributions to lung cancer research and education.
The 2026 HHH Award was posthumously awarded to Filippo de Marinis, who passed away in early February, during the Opening Session of the European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr. de Marinis leaves behind a legacy of unwavering dedication to improving outcomes for patients with lung cancer.
Dr. de Marinis held several prominent positions throughout his distinguished career, including Director of the Department of Thoracic Oncology at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, as well as founding member and President of the Italian Association of Thoracic Oncology (AIOT).
A leading figure in the international oncology community, Prof. de Marinis’s active participation in the various international clinical trials and contributions to the development of new therapeutic strategies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and other thoracic malignancies have been pivotal in shaping current standards of care.
A Personal Tribute to Prof. de Marinis’s Legacy
Prior to delivering the HHH Award Lecture in honor of his colleague and mentor, Antonio Passaro, MD, PhD, shared a personal tribute with ILCN to highlight the significance of this recognition and Prof. de Marinis’s impact on the international lung cancer community.
“The Heine H. Hansen Award has always carried a special meaning within the thoracic oncology community, as it recognizes individuals whose work has profoundly shaped the field. Seeing this distinction attributed in memoriam to Filippo de Marinis gives it an even deeper significance.
Over the course of more than three decades, Filippo stood at the center of many of the scientific advances that transformed lung cancer care. His career spanned a period of extraordinary change, from an era dominated by chemotherapy to the emergence of molecularly targeted therapies and, more recently, precision medicine and immunotherapy.
What distinguished him was not only his scientific contributions to many landmark clinical trials, but his ability to understand early where the field was heading and to help guide that transition.
But Filippo’s impact cannot be measured only through the pivotal studies he contributed to or the hundreds of scientific publications that bear his name. Equally important was the role he played as a mentor, an educator, and a builder of community.
He trained and inspired generations of oncologists who today care for patients across Italy and well beyond its borders, always encouraging them to think critically, remain curious, and raise the standards of thoracic oncology. Through initiatives such as the founding of the AIOT, he helped create a network of collaboration and scientific exchange that continues to influence the field today.
For many of us who had the privilege of working alongside him, Filippo represented far more than a scientific leader. He embodied a way of practicing medicine that combined intellectual rigor with humanity, and his legacy continues to live on through the people and the ideas he helped shape.”
— Antonio Passaro
