Dr Asamura: This is the 18th World Conference of Lung Cancer by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). The WCLC used to be held biannually， but in recent years there have been drastic changes in the treatment of patients with lung cancer. There are new drugs such as the anti-PD-1 antibody and other immunotherapies and drugs in targeted therapy， so the progress in treatment strategies has surpassed previous efforts. Therefore， we hold this conference annually now， and this is the third such annual meeting. This year， we are focusing on new treatments， especially the immunotherapies， under the title “Immunotherapy Update”. We will be especially discussing new treatments for lung cancer.

 

Dr Asamura:  Surgeons have been loosing our territory in recent years， but at this meeting we will be discussing the indications and skills required for things like limited resection. These procedures might be indicated for smaller size tumors and earlier cases. We will be comparing different techniques amongst different surgeons.

 

This is an interesting， old， but very important question in thoracic surgery. Lobectomy has been the standard mode of treatment for many years， but we are encountering smaller and earlier cases these days. Whether lobectomy is still the gold standard for these tumors is highly questionable. JCOG (Japanese Clinical Oncology Group) is conducting a randomized trial comparing lobectomy to segmentectomy. We are assessing the outcomes of limited resection or segmentectomy by scientifically conducted comparisons. We will have results in 2020， but until then， I should be very cautious as to whether segmentectomy would be indicated. My current impression however， is that that is a profound possibility， and that segmentectomy can be superior to lobectomy. I repeat though， that I cannot state that with absolute conviction until 2020.