Successful launch of JTD’s and TLCR’s focused issues on lung cancer: a “perfect full stop” for lung cancer research in 2013

The 15th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC 2013) was expectedly held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Sydney, Australia from October 27 to October 30, 2013. The theme of the 2013 meeting is ‘Next-Generation Lung Cancer Care’, under which, the conference welcomed experts from all over the world to communicate their ideas on the better lung cancer care.

Journal of Thoracic Disease (JTD)/Translational Lung Cancer Research (TLCR) editorial team gladly joined this academic opportunity in lung cancer to better introduce our journal to the specialists attending the conference. We here would like to express our sincere gratitude to our dear authors, editorial board members and readers who have come around our booth and get to know the special editions.

The Opening Plenary Session began on October 27, chaired by Conference Presidents Michael Boyer and Kwun Fong. Four IASLC Distinguished Awards were presented to David R. Gandara, MD, James Jett, MD, Pieter E. Postmus, MD and Tetsuya Mitsudomi, MD, followed by the welcome reception.

As the exhibition hall become lively at 8^:00 pm at the conclusion of the opening plenary session (Figures 1-3), comes the cerebration of the launch of special issue on lung cancer dedicated to the conference (guested-edited by Prof. Fong Kwun).

Figure 1 The exhibition hall soon became crowded with attendees when it opened at 8:00 pm (October 27, 2013) on time.

Figure 2 JTD/TLCR editor was introducing JTD to the attendees.

Figure 3 Attendees signed up for update content of the journal.

To translate evidence to practice, the special issue on lung cancer (www.jthoracdis.com/issue/view/74) focuses on the latest and most topical advances in lung cancer research and developments that have the highest potential to change practice or policy.

It entails articles summarizing the genetic susceptibility to lung cancer and associated conditions, namely smoking and COPD, guidelines to assist clinicians in 2013, review of the emerging data of lung cancer genomics, modern transthoracic approaches to the diagnosis of lung cancer, ablative techniques (RFA, MWA and cryotherapy), modern bronchoscopic advances for lung cancer (fluorescence, NBI, optical coherence, navigation and endobronchial ultrasound), surgical techniques for lung cancer and how to best provide supportive and symptom care in lung cancer.

Looking back, JTD and TLCR are dedicated to serving as a strong academic platform for specialist with their attention to the readers’ expectant field of vision in collaboration with the well-recognized specialists. Since 2013, JTD has brought out three special issue focusing on lung cancer (both in surgery and other treatments), and TLCR has also published three related issues, (genomics and management of early stage NSCLC).

With the global dream of curing cancer, the IASLC Atlas of ALK testing in lung cancer is established in the conference, which correlates with the trend of genetic testing as the spotlight in the lung cancer research. Before turning over the new atlas, it would be beneficial to have an overview of where we are in genomic research of lung cancer: (http://www.tlcr.org/issue/view/5; http://www.tlcr.org/issue/view/62).

Another exciting news is that the Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (established by the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, Sydney, 2013) was featured the in the December 2013 issue of JTD (http://www.jthoracdis.com/article/view/1903).

We also enjoy the opportunity to greet our authors and readers for the special issue just brought out in the city of Sydney (Figures 4-19). Prof. Peter Goldstraw and Prof. Heather Wakelee (Figure 4), both Editorial Board Members of TLCR, came and speak highly of the special issue on Management of early stage NSCLC. We have also met Prof. Kwun Fong and Prof. Micheal Boyer (Figure 5), Presidents of WCLC 2013, also our editorial board members. When the editorial staffs presented the gifts prepared for them, Prof. Kwun Fong also sent the Science Editor a beautiful fabric collage. The first face-to-face meeting between our editorial board member and editor after long time email correspondence soon turns into happy and friendly conversation.

Figure 4 Prof. Peter Goldstraw and Prof. Heather Wakelee are Editorial Board Members of Translational Lung Cancer Research (http://www.tlcr.org/issue/view/75). Prof. Peter Goldstraw is also the senior author of “Surgery in 2013 and beyond” in the lung cancer special issue in JTD (http://www.jthoracdis.com/article/view/1602/html).

Figure 5 Prof. Kwun Fong and Prof. Micheal Boyer, Presidents of WCLC 2013, came to meet with the editors face to face.

Figure 6 Prof. David Ball, author of “A review of clinical practice guidelines for lung cancer” in the lung cancer special issue in JTD (http://www.jthoracdis.com/article/view/1405/html).

Figure 7 The editor has an interview with Prof. Yilong Wu regarding his report on “Final results of CTONG 0806: a phase II trial comparing Pemetrexed with Gefitinib as second-line treatment of advanced non-squamous NSLC patients with wild-type EGFR”.

Figure 8 Prof. Alessandro Brunelli, active author of JTD with the most recent article published in the VATS special issue of JTD (http://www.jthoracdis.com/article/view/1466/html). We are going to work with Prof. Brunelli to bring out a special issue dedicated to ESTS 2014 (European Society of Thoracic Surgery).

Figure 9 Prof. Dr. Rishendran Naidoo and Prof. Morgan N. Windsor, authors of article “Surgery in 2013 and beyond” in the lung cancer special issue in Journal of Thoracic Disease (http://www.jthoracdis.com/article/view/1602/html).

Figure 10 Dr. Bojian Zaric and Dr. Branislav Perin, author of “Advanced bronchoscopic techniques in diagnosis and staging of lung cancer” in JTD (http://www.jthoracdis.com/article/view/1191/html).

Figure 11 Prof. Hyun Koo Kim, Editorial Board Member of Journal of Thoracic Disease.

Figure 12 Prof. Charles B Simone, Editorial board member of Journal of Thoracic Disease (http://www.jthoracdis.com/article/view/264/html).

Figure 13 Ping Yang, Editorial Board Member of Journal of Thoracic Disease.

Figure 14 Prof. Jermaine I. G. Coward, author of the article “Chemotherapy advances in small-cell lung cancer” in the lung cancer special issue in Journal of Thoracic Disease (http://www.jthoracdis.com/article/view/1515/html).

Figure 15 Prof. Gail Darling, author of “Towards optimal pathologic staging of resectable non-small cell lung cancer” (http://www.tlcr.org/article/view/1609/2333) in the special issue on management of early NSCLC in Translational Lung Cancer Research.

Figure 16 Prof. Raymond U. Osarogiagbon, distinguished Editorial Board Member of Translational Lung Cancer Research. Prof. Osarogiagbon has authored “Towards optimal pathologic staging of resectable non-small cell lung cancer” (http://www.tlcr.org/article/view/1609/2333) in the special issue on management of early NSCLC.

Figure 17 Prof. Paul van Schil, distinguished Editorial Board Member of Translational Lung Cancer Research.

Figure 18 Prof. Yoshihisa Kobayashi, author of “Management of ground-glass opacities: should all pulmonary lesions with ground-glass opacity be surgically resected?” in the special issue on management of early NSCLC (http://www.tlcr.org/article/view/1608).

Figure 19 The attendees were communicating with Mr Stephen Wang, our Editorial director, on academic standard for a good clinical trial.

Dr. James Jett, the former Editor of JTO came and say hello to our editorial staff to claim the special issue on early management of NSCLC in TLCR. Prof. Charles B Simone, presenter for the Mesothelioma section and outstanding author of JTD, agreed to expand his talk into a manuscript, which is expected to be published in JTD early 2014 (Figure 12). Then Dr. Daniela Morales-Espinosa, author of the lung cancer special issue of TLCR is congratulated on her winning of the Young Investigator Award, with whom we have a very nice dinner together along with Dr. Niki Karachaliou.

With such an academic communication, the editor and our reader (be he/she, our board member or author) have exchange their ideas and the readers have a better understanding of the journal (Figure 19). As editorial representatives from China, we have prepared for both our board members and authors the Chinese artwork as an acknowledgement for their tremendous support and contributions.

Seeing the wide recognition of these focused issues, we feel the tremendous impetus to march forward for deeper and more comprehensive exploration in related field. The smile with recognition from our reader just makes all the effort worth it!

Acknowledgements

Disclosure: The author declares no conflict of interest.