Lung cancer experts convene in Seoul…new results will be unveiled

The Korean Association for Lung Cancer International Conference (KALC IC) is taking place on the 10th…attended by international experts

Followed by the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) on the 12th...global key trials will be presented

Domestic and international lung cancer experts are convening in Seoul. Beginning with the Korean Association for Lung Cancer International Conference (KALC IC) and followed by the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), the symposia will unveil the latest clinical breakthroughs spanning early detection, surgical intervention, molecular targeted therapies, immuno-oncology, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

Professor Woo Hong-gyun, Chairman of the Board of KALC 

In particular, with the international thoracic oncology conference taking place in Seoul immediately after the domestic congress, the consecutive events are expected to offer conference participants a comprehensive look at the rapidly segmenting treatment landscape and emerging therapeutic paradigms.

The Korean Association for Lung Cancer (KALC) is holding the '2026 KALC International Conference (KALC IC 2026)' over two days, beginning on the 10th at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul.

Approximately 700 participants are attending this year's congress. Based on pre-registration data, the number of participating nations, including overseas attendees, expanded from 21 last year to 27 this year. A total of 141 abstracts were accepted, with submissions from 14 countries, up from 11 the prior year.

Woo Hong-gyun, Chairman of the Board of KALC and Professor of Radiation Oncology at Seoul National University Hospital, stated, "This year, attendees from 27 nations confirmed their participation and abstracts were submitted from 14 countries. KALC IC continues to expand its global reach and stature as a premier international academic forum."

Sessions present latest clinical insights on next-generation immuno-oncology and ADCs

This year’s KALC IC covers various topics from structural changes in lung cancer diagnosis and therapy to long-term translational research avenues.

Plenary sessions are titled "Legacy of the Masters" program, featuring global opinion leaders who have driven landmark advancements in thoracic oncology.

On day one, the "Shifting Paradigms in Thoracic Oncology" session reviews clinical advances across pathology, precision biomarkers, molecular targeted therapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and thoracic surgery. On day two, "The Global Impact" session examines translational oncology, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and the past, present, and future trajectory of lung cancer care in South Korea.

Professor In-Jae Oh, KALC Scientific Director

In-Jae Oh, KALC Scientific Director and Professor of Pulmonology at Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, explained, "The World Conference on Lung Cancer has played an instrumental role in shaping thoracic oncology, producing seasoned luminaries who have accumulated decades of clinical insight. This conference is structured to enable attendees to gain not only cutting-edge data, but also historical perspectives on therapeutic evolution through lectures by leading authorities in medical oncology, thoracic surgery, radiation oncology, and pathology."

Notably, this year's program strongly reinforces a multidisciplinary framework in which clinicians across diverse specialties collaboratively evaluate unified lung cancer therapeutic strategies.

Professor Oh added, "Because lung cancer fundamentally necessitates a multidisciplinary approach, we systematically constructed sessions where clinicians from various subspecialties can engage with identical topics and debate them from their respective disciplinary perspectives," adding, "The program was designed to encourage experts across diverse fields and generations to analyze lung cancer treatment paradigms from multifaceted viewpoints."

The program on the 11th features dedicated sessions focusing on next-generation immune-checkpoint therapies and ADCs, perioperative treatment modalities, and DLL3-targeted precision therapeutics in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC).

Recently, thoracic oncology has advanced far beyond traditional oncogenic driver mutations to embrace combination immunotherapies, ADCs, and bispecific antibodies. Concurrently, systemic therapies that originally launched in metastatic lines are rapidly migrating to neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, resulting in increasingly granular, stage-specific clinical algorithms.

Topics on sustaining regionally integrated lung cancer care

In addition to topics on novel drug candidates and advanced modalities, this year's agenda includes domestic healthcare infrastructure and cancer delivery models.

On the 10th, the Planning Committee hosted a session titled "Strategies to Implement Regionally Comprehensive Lung Cancer Care," discussing delivery frameworks that guarantee coordinated diagnosis and therapeutic continuity within provincial regions. The committee presented case studies from Chungbuk National University Hospital and Chonnam National University Hospital, along with evaluations of the functional roles of regional cancer centers and initiatives to establish decentralized patient referral networks.

In Kyu Park, KALC Planning Director and Professor of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Seoul National University Hospital, remarked, "With regional healthcare viability emerging as a critical socioeconomic challenge, resolving the logistical burden of lung cancer patients traveling to other regions for treatment is an imperative task," adding, "This session was designed to explore actionable measures not only from a health policy perspective, but also through professional academic initiatives."

A survey on multidisciplinary care conducted by KALC among its membership revealed that while clinicians strongly concur on the clinical utility and necessity of multidisciplinary tumor boards, structural policy reforms remain imperative to ensure operational sustainability.

Professor Park noted, "Under the current fee-for-service model, which mandates presence by multiple subspecialists to qualify for reimbursement, maintaining multidisciplinary clinics is challenging for staffing-constrained regional centers," adding, "A more flexible appraisal and reimbursement framework must be considered to accommodate remote consultations and virtual multidisciplinary tumor boards."

The conference also highlights post-treatment survivorship and patient quality of life. On the 11th, KALC is hosting a "Lung Cancer Awareness Day" event geared toward patients, caregivers, and the public.

This year's theme is "Life After Lung Cancer." The agenda is tailored to practical, real-world challenges patients face during and after treatment, with a strong focus on clinical nutrition, exercise oncology, and psychosocial mental healthcare.

Professor Woo emphasized, "This year's Lung Cancer Awareness Day was developed around practical lifestyle areas of high patient interest, such as nutritional counseling, physical conditioning, and mental wellness," adding, "It is structured to foster deeper engagement and empathy with patients and their families."

In parallel, the formal academic program has instituted a dedicated track for "Supportive Care and Survivorship."

As overall survival prolongs and treatment options diversify, long-term survivorship management—encompassing nutritional integrity, functional recovery, and psychiatric support throughout chronic therapeutic regimens—is increasingly recognized as an essential pillar of comprehensive lung cancer clinical care alongside primary anti-tumor efficacy.

Chairman Woo noted, "The declining number of young physicians choosing to specialize in thoracic oncology is an ongoing concern," adding, "During this WCLC period, we distributed official invitations to medical schools nationwide and will be holding an interactive colloquium with 11 prospective medical students."

Key clinical trial outcomes of SCLC·NSCLC will be unveiled at the WCLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the domestic symposium, the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC 2026), hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), will begin on the 12th at COEX in Seoul.

At this year's WCLC, late-stage clinical trial outcomes poised to influence practice guidelines in both SCLC and NSCLC will be presented.

The conference's key focus centers on small cell lung cancer.

The SWOG S1827 'MAVERICK' trial evaluates prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) against an active surveillance protocol utilizing brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in SCLC patients without baseline central nervous system metastases. Given the neurocognitive decline associated with conventional whole-brain PCI, significant industry interest is focused on whether MRI surveillance can validate itself as a safe, toxicity-sparing standard-of-care alternative.

In relapsed/refractory SCLC, presentations on clinical results for B7-H3-directed ADCs are also scheduled. Late-stage clinical trials TAISHAN-302 and ARTEMIS-008 are featured as highlighted presentations, providing key efficacy and safety signals for novel ADCs versus standard chemotherapy options in subsequent-line settings.

In non-small cell lung cancer, frontline regimens targeting EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations are drawing interests.

The Phase 3 PAPILLON study evaluated amivantamab + chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. Following prior results confirming progression-free survival (PFS) superiority, long-term follow-up analyses will shed light on overall survival durability.

Within the same patient population, the REZILIENT 3 trial evaluating frontline zipalertinib is also featured prominently. As clinical evidence accumulates for this historically challenging target, the comparative readout will provide critical data to shape future first-line treatment algorithms.

In resectable EGFR-mutated NSCLC, extended follow-up data from the landmark ADAURA trial will be presented. ADAURA demonstrated the definitive survival benefit of adjuvant osimertinib following surgical resection, anchoring the role of targeted maintenance therapies in early-stage disease.

In ROS1-positive NSCLC, clinical results from the ARROS-1 trial evaluating the next-generation ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) zidesamtinib are also scheduled for presentation.