The Targeted Therapies of Lung Cancer (TTLC) meeting is designed to provide the latest information about novel therapies while stimulating young investigators through abstract presentations and mentoring. The 2026 IASLC TTLC meeting will take place February 18-21 in Huntington Beach, California. While the meeting has outgrown its initial meeting site in Santa Monica, California, its original goals have been preserved.
“When TTLC moved to Huntington Beach, the idea was to keep those close interactions while allowing more people to participate. Many of the things that were done to stimulate interaction—such as the poster sessions, poster discussions, and mentoring—have persisted,” said Paul A. Bunn Jr., MD.. “The idea is still to provide interactions between more senior faculty and junior faculty, as well as learning the latest updates on targeted treatments.”
The meeting is designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of new treatments through shorter presentations and debates, which have expanded in scope throughout the years.
“Besides multiple new targeted treatments for the well-defined targets, there are new approaches, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies,” Dr. Bunn said. “The treatments are continuing to evolve. There are more new therapies available now than in the past, and it is a challenge to discuss all of those in the time allotted, but hopefully we’ll be successful as we have in the past.”
Dr. Bunn will co-chair TTLC 2026 along with Shirish Gadgeel, MD, FASCO; Xiuning Le, MD, PhD; and Karen Reckamp, MD, MS. The TTLC 2026 Conference Chairs collaborated to share a preview of this year’s conference and must-attend sessions in a recent Q&A with ILCN.
ILCN: What are the top two or three sessions or events you believe are can’t-miss for attendees this year?
TTLC Chairs: As is true every year, the feature presentations for this year are the Opening Keynote Presentation by Dr. John Heymach and the Faculty Dinner Presentation by Dr. Bruce Johnson.
This year, we have an additional presentation to highlight: the Special Presentation on Thursday, February 19, delivered by Dr. Ross Camidge.
In addition to our featured speakers, we will have a session that allows for discussion with the National Cancer Institute and the FDA to understand the current landscape for investigators. Our oral abstracts from the next generation of researchers in lung cancer are always a highlight.
ILCN: How does this year’s programming reflect the most significant breakthroughs we’ve seen during the past year?
TTLC Chairs: Held at the beginning of each year, TTLC is a reflection of all the major advances in thoracic oncology therapeutics from the previous year. This year, there is a renewed focus on breakthroughs and updates in perioperative therapy for early-stage lung cancer, new approvals with ADCs, and novel immunotherapy in small-cell lung cancers. We also emphasize multidisciplinary care of thoracic cancers.
ILCN: What makes the in-person TTLC experience unique for fostering collaboration, and what networking opportunities can attendees look forward to?
TTLC Chairs: TTLC remains a unique conference, with a single auditorium, a single presentation at any given time and ample breaks during the meeting for networking and discussions. In addition, there is a special focus on mentoring for junior faculty and oncology fellows to interact with senior and experienced faculty.
All of this is done in a less stressful environment than the other oncology conferences. The timing of the conference is also ideal as it is at the beginning of the year, which allows attendees to interact and plan projects for the upcoming year. The venue and setting are ideal for networking and unexpected connections throughout the meeting
ILCN: Is there any particular topic, debate, or event that you are most excited about this year?
TTLC Chairs: We’re very much looking forward to all the presentations, but specifically the Special Presentation by Dr. Ross Camidge and the Patient Advocate Session by Jane Perlmutter. We are also having multiple debates centered around whether novel agents will soon come to the first-line setting, including KRAS, ADCs, and immunotherapy agents.
The debates always initiate lively discussions that often extend beyond the room and into the halls of the meeting and within our institutions after the meeting. The Women in Thoracic Oncology session brings together a mix of attendees to share experiences, which often leads to new friendships and collaborations.
