The 2022 World Congress on Lung Cancer will once again feature the Joint IASLC-CSCO-CAALC Session, bringing together members of IASLC with those from the Chinese Alliance Against Lung Cancer and Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology.
However, because of current travel restrictions, most Chinese delegates could not attend WCLC 2022 in person, said session co-moderator Yi-Long Wu, MD, PhD, of Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, China.
“In order to let more Chinese physicians learn and share in the recent advances in lung cancer, this virtual joint meeting will be much more important than ever before,” Dr. Wu said.
This year’s all-virtual session will take place on Saturday, August 6, at 21:00 and will highlight the important topic, “Liquid Biopsy in Oncogene Driven NSCLC.”
Joint IASLC-CSCO-CAALC Session: Liquid Biopsy in Oncogene Driven NSCLC
- Time: 21:00 – 23:50 CEST
- Date: Saturday, August 6
- Location: Hall C7
- Moderators: Yi-Long Wu, MD, PhD; Chunxue Bai, MD, PhD; Caicun Zhou, MD, PhD; and Karen Kelly, MD
Liquid biopsy plays an important role in clinical trials and clinical practice in lung cancer, Dr. Wu said.
Currently, liquid biopsy can be used in three contexts. First, liquid biopsy can be used to detect certain targetable alterations.
“This is very important because there are more EGFR-mutant patients in China,” Dr. Wu said.
Second, liquid biopsy can be used to enrich a high- or low-risk population for study in a clinical trial. Recently, a lot of trials have shown that liquid biopsy positive or negative results have different prognosis.
“Residual ctDNA detecting molecular residual disease [MRD] after surgery or completion of standard systemic therapy confers a poor prognosis and selects a population at high risk of relapse,” Dr. Wu said. “This year a Chinese scholar—who is an invited speaker at this joint session—published an interesting paper in Cancer Discovery suggesting that longitudinal undetectable MRD defines a potentially cured population in localized NSCLC.”
Finally, liquid biopsy can be used to reflect a patient’s response to treatment or potentially as an early marker of efficacy.
“I am excited to learn about the similarities and differences in clinical applications of liquid biopsies from the Chinese, American, and European perspectives,” said IASLC CEO Karen Kelly, MD. “I enjoy how, despite geographical differences, we work together to advance new knowledge and clinical applications for our patients.”
These topics and more will be discussed during the session, which includes four presentations from speakers representing both East and West.
The first two presentations focus on early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC):
- Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Negative: Potential for Cure in Resected Oncogene Driven NSCLC? Chinese Perspective
- Could MRD Change Our Clinical Practice? North American Perspective.
The second two presentations will focus on advanced NSCLC.
- How to Use Liquid Biopsy to Monitor Treatment Efficacy for Advanced Driven NSCLC
- Liquid Biopsy for Advanced Oncogene Driven NSCLC. European Perspective
These topical presentations will be followed by four oral abstract presentations and several poster presentations.
“All of these topics are cutting-edge and will influence our clinical practice in the near future,” Dr. Wu said. “This yearly joint session demonstrates how bringing together talented members from across organizations makes us stronger in our fight against thoracic malignancies,” Dr. Kelly said. “Lung cancer is a global disease, and it is going to take a global solution. I was delighted to work with my Chinese partners to put together this outstanding symposium on a highly relevant and dynamic topic.”
