0000000000239958
AUTHOR
Rolf A. Stahel
Prevalence and Clinical Outcomes for Patients With ALK Gene Rearrangement in Europe: Preliminary Results from the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape Project
ABSTRACT Background The prevalence of ALK gene rearrangement (ALK+) in European patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. The Lungscape project provides a platform to evaluate its expression and clinical significance in a large cohort of patients with resected NSCLC from 13 European sites in 11 countries. Methods Participating sites retrospectively identified cases of NSCLC with clinical demographic and outcome data, and available tissue for research according to predefined protocol criteria. Local ethical and regulatory approvals were adhered to. Clinical data were entered to a central, secure database. Accepted cases on the basis of completeness of clinical data were as…
Prevalence and Clinical Outcomes for Patients With ALK-Positive Resected Stage I to III Adenocarcinoma: Results From the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape Project
Purpose The prevalence of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene fusion (ALK positivity) in early-stage non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) varies by population examined and detection method used. The Lungscape ALK project was designed to address the prevalence and prognostic impact of ALK positivity in resected lung adenocarcinoma in a primarily European population. Methods Analysis of ALK status was performed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in tissue sections of 1,281 patients with adenocarcinoma in the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape iBiobank. Positive patients were matched with negative patients in a 1:2 ratio, both for IHC and for …
Career opportunities and benefits for young oncologists in the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) is one of the leading societies of oncology professionals in the world. Approximately 30% of the 13 000 ESMO members are below the age of 40 and thus meet the society's definition of young oncologists (YOs). ESMO has identified the training and development of YOs as a priority and has therefore established a comprehensive career development programme. This includes a leadership development programme to help identify and develop the future leaders in oncology. Well-trained and highly motivated future generations of multidisciplinary oncologists are essential to ensure the optimal evolution of the field of oncology with the ultimate goal of pro…
Prevalence and clinical association of gene mutations through multiplex mutation testing in patients with NSCLC
[EN] Background Reported prevalence of driver gene mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is highly variable and clinical correlations are emerging. Using NSCLC biomaterial and clinical data from the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape iBiobank, we explore the epidemiology of mutations and association to clinicopathologic features and patient outcome (relapse-free survival, time-to-relapse, overall survival). Methods Clinically annotated, resected stage I¿III NSCLC FFPE tissue was assessed for gene mutation using a microfluidics-based multiplex PCR platform. Mutant-allele detection sensitivity is¿>1% for most of the ~150 (13 genes) mutations covered in the multiplex test.…
Changing the education paradigm in oncology: ESO masterclass, 17 years of continuous success
In this review, we summarize the history of the 41 Masterclasses in Clinical Oncology (MCO) organized by ESO or ESO-ESMO during the last 17 years. MCOs have been held in five different geographical regions including: a) Central Europe, b) Eastern Europe and Balkans, c) Baltic and Euroasia, d) Arab World and Southern European Countries and e) Latin America. More than 2.000 young oncologists have attended and more than 250 distinguished faculty members have actively participated. The program exposes students to sessions covering all major tumors ("big killers") and to spotlights updating information on various important cancers and related topics. Participants are able to present their own cl…