Lung cancer is the tumor with the largest numbers of new cases and deaths around the world and in China. Through constant efforts by generations of experts, China has entered the top tier gradually in the field of clinical and scientific research on lung cancer, and is even leading globally in some projects. Prof. Zhou Caicun from Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University was elected as President-Elect of the IASLC, and Prof. Zhong Wenzhao from Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital as a board member, which reflects China’s rapid progress in clinical research and development.

The IASLC is the only global network dedicated to the study and eradication of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Since its founding in 1974, its membership has grown to more than 8,000 lung and thoracic cancer specialists from more than 100 countries and regions.

The President of the IASLC has an office term of two years, and this position is taken by experts from all continents in turns. According to IASLC’s bylaws, the new President-Elect will be an expert from the Asian region. The Board of Directors is the core leadership team of the IASLC, composed of the most authoritative lung cancer experts from different countries / regions, with an office term of four years.

The Board of Directors had seven seats for reelection, and through fierce competition among top experts in the field of lung cancer research from around the world, 28 candidates were elected after several rounds, and divided into seven groups for election, where the first group was for the President, and the other groups for board members. These groups were formed considering the balance of region, gender, and discipline (internal medicine, surgery, radiotherapy, pathology, etc.). Seven experts engaged in lung cancer surgery, internal medicine, radiotherapy, pathology, and other research from well-known tumor research centers around the world (China, the U.S., Canada, Oceania, Spain) were elected, and would make decisions as the core leadership team of the IASLC together with the nine current members. Prof. Zhong Wenzhao from Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital and the Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute was elected for his perioperative treatment of lung cancer, multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment, and the experience of leading a team to create a three-dimensional topographic map of the lungs and making surgical planning.

Prof. Zhong Wenzhao from Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital and the Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute

As a student of Prof. Wu Yilong, a world-renowned lung cancer expert, Prof. Zhong has long focused on perioperative therapeutic strategies, new surgical technology innovation, and evolution patterns of tumor biology for lung cancer, and boasts masterly diagnostic and treatment abilities, and surgical skills in the whole course of lung cancer. In August 2022, Prof. Zhong received the Tsuguo Naruke Award for Surgery from the IASLC for his contributions to innovative treatment in the global lung cancer field, making him the first Chinese scholar to receive this award.

It is learned that as early as July 2013, Prof. Wu Yilong from the Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute was elected as a board member of the IASLC, being the earliest Chinese expert to join the core leadership team of this academic organization. Prof. Tony Mok Shu Kam from Hong Kong, China was the first Chinese President of the IASLC.

Prof. Zhong said, “After my election as a board member of the IASLC, we will become the organizers, initiators, and decision-makers within the IASLC. We will participate in the formulation of the overall international strategy for lung cancer prevention and control, and have opportunities to lead more new technologies, plans, and concepts in the field of lung cancer. In the meanwhile, this platform will further facilitate the worldwide extension of lung cancer research achievements, technologies, and concepts of Chinese experts and scholars, and help make the voice of China in the international field of lung cancer prevention and control to help more lung cancer patients.”

Source: Southern Metropolis Daily APP

Updated: June 8, 2023