Workshop 1 of the APAC Lung Cancer Policy Consensus initiative successfully held, focusing on lung cancer prevention, early detection & screening, and diagnosis.

On March 18th 2025, ASPIRE for Lung Cancer successfully concluded the first workshop of the APAC Lung Cancer Policy Consensus initiative, focused on lung cancer prevention, early detection & screening, and diagnosis.

This initiative was held in collaboration with Assoc. Prof. Herbert Loong, from APCLC (Asia Pacific Coalition against Lung Cancer) and Dr. Mary Bussell, from TriMar Strategies, who convened leading experts from across APAC, including representatives from Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as global public health and civil society leaders.

During the session, participants engaged in discussions and shared key challenges and successes including:

✔️ Strengthening tobacco control and enforcement through stricter regulations, public awareness, and collaboration across sectors to drive stronger implementation

✔️ Addressing air pollution and environmental risks as key contributors to lung cancer, with a focus on improving policy enforcement and mitigation strategies

✔️ Expanding high-risk screening criteria beyond smoking history to include post-COVID-19 impact, family history, and occupational exposure for more equitable access

✔️ Tackling the rise of alternative tobacco products, such as vaping and chewing tobacco, through targeted policies and behavioural interventions

✔️ Leveraging technology for early detection, including AI-driven screening and optimising access to LDCT through health system-wide programmes

✔️ Enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration between policymakers, healthcare providers, and civil society to improve lung cancer prevention, screening, and treatment outcomes

Building on these discussions, a set of consensus statements will be developed to unite stakeholders in a shared commitment to tackling lung cancer across the region—ensuring no one is left behind. These statements will also guide further discussions in the second workshop, which will focus on:

✅ Access to treatment

✅ Addressing stigma and the patient experience

✅ Investments and partnerships

As progress is made towards the second workshop and official launch of the consensus statements, a greater representation from experts from other APAC health systems is welcome, to further strengthen the breadth and impact of this initiative.

We’d like to thank our participating experts, Asia Pacific Coalition against Lung Cancer, Dr. Aaron Tan, Dr. Chong Kin Liam, Dr. Frederic Ivan Ting, Dr. Helena Wilcox, Dr. Jemma Arakelyan, Dr. Kenneth Samala, Prof. Martin Wong, Prof. Pham Cam Phuong, Dr. Sewanti Limaye, Dr. Sita Andarini, A/Prof Thanyanan Reungwetwattana and Prof. Yi-Long Wu for their invaluable contributions in Workshop 1.

Let’s continue making progress together!

Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates from this engagement and feel free to reach out to us if you’d like to get involved or find out more.

Acknowledgement:

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our industry partner, MSD, for their support and contribution for making this roundtable possible.