The 25th European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS)—an academic feast held in the beautiful town of the Alps

Editor’s note

The 25th European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) was successfully held during May 28–May 31 in the International Conference Center in Innsbruck, a historical and cultural city in Austria. This event gathered thousands of experts and scholars from all over the world. AME editorial team had the great honor to attend this conference, to witness this wonderful academic feast. Let’s review the highlights of this conference.

Founded in 1993, ESTS is a professional association of thoracic surgeons in Europe. It aims to improve quality in all aspects of our specialty—from clinical and surgical management of patients to education, training and credentialing of thoracic surgeons in Europe and worldwide. So far, there are more than 1,200 members coming from 70 different countries all over the world.

Postgraduate Symposium—Master Cup

On May 28, the 25th European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) was beginning with the Postgraduate Symposium on General Thoracic Surgery.

This is the 7th Postgraduate Symposium on General Thoracic Surgery among the thoracic surgeons from several continents. This Symposium is distinctive and brilliant, which has become one of the most attractive events in ESTS meeting.

The Master Cup Challenge in this year is different from the past ones. The participants were grouped by state, instead of continent. Professor Lanjun Zhang from Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Hospital is the team leader of China team. Team members are Fan Zhang from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Cancer Hospital, Runsen Jin from Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, Qiuyuan Li from Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital. These four team members were selected from there competitive competitions which were planned by Professor Alan Sihoe, one of the chairmen of this Symposium and AME publishing company (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Chinese team: from right to left Dr. Fan Zhang, Professor Lanjun Zhang, Dr. Qiuyuan Li and Dr. Runsen Jin.

After three rounds of fierce competition, the Canadian team win the first prize. Although the Chinese team missed the trophy eventually, this experience itself has extraordinary significance for them (Figures 2–4).

Figure 2 All the teams took seats in the assembly room.

Figure 3 The group photo after the competition.

Figure 4 Photo of Chinese team and AME team.

As a special part of this competition, Claudio Caviezel, the AME-ESTS prize winner of last year, shared his experience at the China Thoracic Surgery Center (Figure 5). During his time in China, he not only improved his professional skills, but also made many new friends.

Figure 5 Dr. Claudio Caviezel shared his experience in China, he mentioned AME publishing company, etc.

Research section of ESTS

This year, ESTS had set up plenty of speech sessions, targeting at thoracic disease.

ESTS-CATS Joint Session is one of the highlights of this year’s ESTS meeting, which showed the highest level of China’s thoracic surgery, meaning that the cooperation between the European and Chinese thoracic surgery reached a new height (Figures 6–13).

Figure 6 Professor Wentao Fang and Professor Lunxu Liu presided over the meeting.

Figure 7 On behalf of Professor Shugeng Gao, Dr. Fan Zhang shared experience of Unilateral thoracoscopic pneumonectomy in the Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Science.

Figure 8 Professor Wentao Fang shared the experience of VATS pneumonectomy with the assistance of subxiphoid minimal incision in Shanghai Chest Hospital.

Figure 9 Prof. Alper Toker shared the learning curve from the robot's pneumonectomy, etc.

Figure 10 Professor Lunxu Liu shared the overview of pneumonectomy enlarged under endoscope

Figure 11 Professor Li Hui presented the development of ERAS in China and looked forward to the future development of ERAS in China.

Figure 12 Professor Zhong Wenzhao showed the wonderful endoscopic surgery video.

Figure 13 Prof. Zhu Quan showed the autographed surgical video—lung sleeve resection.

Challenging oncology cases in thoracic surgery: a multidisciplinary tumor board (MTB) session

Challenging oncology cases in thoracic surgery is also a highlight in the meeting. The participants in this section were winners of the contests held by AME publishing company. Professor Alan Sihoe presided over the meeting, with special guests: Prof. Kostas Papagiannopouolos, Professor Paul Van Houtte and Prof. Silvia Novello (Figures 14–16).

Figure 14 From right to left: Prof. Alan Sihoe, Prof. Kostas Papagiannopouolos, Prof. Paul Van Houtte, Prof. Silvia Novello.

Figure 15 Speaker: Dr. Fan Zewen.

Figure 16 Speaker: Dr. Lai Qiuyuan.

Brompton Session

Six abstracts have been selected for the Brompton Session by a panel of judges from approximately 250 abstracts accepted for presentation (Figure 17). Dr. Sai Yendamuri, Chair of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, wins Brompton Prize at the 2017 ESTS Annual Meeting.

Figure 17 Six lecturers at the Brompton Session. (A) Dr. Sai Yendamuri; (B) Dr. Vincent Fang; (C) Dr. Fabio Davoli; (D) Dr. Mario Nosotti; (E) Dr. Mohamed Salama; (F) Dr. Carlson Aruldas.

Cooperation agreement between AME Publishing Company and SICT

The agreement of strategic partnership between AME Publishing Company and Italian Society of Thoracic Surgery (SICT) is officially signed on AME exhibit booth of the ESTS Annual Meeting (Figure 18), which for AME is an important step towards facilitating development in the field of thoracic surgery for AME.

Figure 18 Ms. Grace S. Li, Executive Assistant to CEO from AME Publishing Company and Prof Roberto Crisci, general secretary of the Italian Society of Thoracic Surgery (SICT), signed the “AME Academic Cooperation Group Agreement”.

SICT (www.sichirurgiatoracica.it) was founded in 1948, and it is the main thoracic society in Italy. Inside SICT, some groups work with oriented projects (e.g., VATS Group, Metastasis group, rare tumors of the lung group). The Association is based in Rome. The scientific activity of SICT is related to the coordination of events about thoracic surgery in Italy.

AME and ESTS

ESTS-AME prize

JTD focused issue, the 4^th edition of European Perspective of Thoracic Surgery dedicated to the ESTS 2017 (Figure 19), appeared in delegate bag of the Annual Meeting, about 1500 copies of this issue were presented to the onsite participants. The 4^th edition of European Perspective of Thoracic Surgery is organized by the Guest Editors Dr. Alessandro Brunelli (General Secretary of ESTS) and Dr. Enrico Ruffini (Director of ESTS Annual Meeting). Since 2014, JTD and its publisher AME Publishing Company has established stable cooperation with ESTS. We are honored to cooperate with ESTS, with the hope of facilitating academic progress in the field of thoracic surgery so that even more patients can benefit.

Figure 19 JTD focused issue, the 4th edition of European Perspective of Thoracic Surgery, dedicated to the ESTS 2017.

AME booth

At the AME exhibit booth during the ESTS Annual Meeting (Figure 20), we warmly welcome attendees to stop by our booth. This gave us a chance to meet the editors-in-chief, editorial board members, guest editors, authors, sharing the latest updates of AME journals, inviting them for interviews, and offering certifications to editorial board members, etc. (Figures 21–27).

Figure 20 AME exhibit booth during the ESTS 2017.

Figure 21 At the AME Exhibit Booth, attendees were interested in the journals and books. (A) Dr. Alan D. L. Sihoe and Dr. Fernando Vannucci; (B) Dr. Joel Dunning and Dr. Diego Gonzalez Rivas; (C) communication among the surgeons.

Figure 22 Professors and AME. (A) From left to right, AME editors Ann Young, Jessica Zhong, Prof. Gonzalo Varela (Chief of the Thoracic Surgery Service and Professor of Thoracic Surgery in Salamanca University Hospital and Medical School; President of ESTS 2015-16; also as an editorial board member of Annals of Translational Medicine journal published by AME), Prof. Nuria Novoa, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Salamanca University Hospital (co-chair of ESTS master Cup 2017; also as an editorial board member of Mediastinum journal published by AME), AME editors Grace Li and Macy Liu; (B) Prof. Jaroslaw Kuzdzal and AME editor Macy Liu; (C) Laureano Molins, MD, PhD (organizer of ESTS JACS Joint Session) and AME editor Jessie Zhong.

Figure 23 Professors and AME. (A) Prof. Ramon Tami-Porta, Chair of the IASLC Staging and Prognostic Factors Committee, taking photo with AME editor Grace Li; (B) Dr. Bo Laksáfoss Holbe (Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet) taking photo with AME editor Grace Li; (C) Dr. Christopher Seder and AME editor Macy Liu; (D) from left to right, Luca Bertolaccini, MD, PhD, AME editor Jessie and Piergiorgio Solli, MD (Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust); (E) Gilbert Massard, MD, French team leader in the Postgraduate Course Master’s Cup Competition of the ESTS 2017, President Elect ESTS, taking photo with AME editors; (F) Prof. Dominique Gossot, (Institute Mutualiste Montsouris, France), was issued a certificate as an editorial board member of Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery journal by AME editor.

Figure 24 Professors and AME. (A) Prof. Ricardo Mingarini Terra and his colleague Prof. Ribas Milanez de Campos; (B) AME editor Jessie and Dr. Alfonso Fiorelli, MD, PhD (who is editorial board member of VATS; guest editor of ATM; author of JTD); (C) Dr. Joel Dunning and AME editor Grace Li; (D) Dr. Yoshito Yamada from University of Zurich, AME editor Jessie Zhong and Dr. Wolfgang Jungraithmayr, MD (who is the author of JTD journal); (E) Dr. Jean-Marc Baste and AME editor Macy Liu; (F) Dr. Herbert MA Decaluwe, MD (author of JTD and VATS), and AME editor Jessie.

Figure 25 Professors and AME. (A) From left to right, Dr. Yang Hu (West China Hospital), Prof. Kostas Papagiannopoulos, who is the president of ESTS 2017–2018, Prof. Lunxu Liu (West China Hospital), and AME editor Grace Li; (B) Dr. Boris Sepesi, MD (the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) taking photo with AME editor Jessie Zhong; (C) Dr. Mahmoud Ismail and AME editors; (D) Dr. Joshua Sonett and AME editor Jessie Zhong; (E) Dr. Masaaki Sato, MD (the University of Tokyo), who is author of JTD journal, taking photo with AME editor Jessie Zhong; (F) Dr. Virginia Litle, MD (Boston University School of Medicine), who is author of JOVS (2^nd left).

Figure 26 Professors and AME. (A) Dr. Lieven Depypere, winner of ESTS-AME prize in 2015 (the best trainee member in the Postgraduate Course Master’s Cup Competition), taking photo with AME editors; (B) Dr. Alessandro Brunelli and AME editor Macy Liu; (C) from left to right, Dr. Roberto Crisci, MD (general secretary of the Italian Society of Thoracic Surgery (SICT), AME editor Jessie Zhong, Dr. Luca Bertolaccini, MD, PhD; (D) Prof. René Horsleben Petersen and AME editor; (E) Prof. Peter Licht (Odense University Hospital, Denmark), president of International Symposium on Sympathetic Surgery (ISSS), taking photo with AME editor Jessie Zhong; (F) Dr. Mario Nosotti, MD (University of Milan), is author of JTD journal (3^th left).

Figure 27 Professors and AME. (A) AME Editors Grace Li, Jessie Zhong, Prof. Pier Luigi Filosso (ITMIG 2017 Conference Chair), Dr. Francesco Guerrera; (B) Prof. Alper Toker, who is also the ESTS 2014–2015 president, was issued a certificate as an editorial board member of Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery journal by AME editor.

Acknowledgements

None.

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.