WCLC 2025 - Posters & ePosters-P1.17.77 Lung Cancer Consensus: Uniting for a Healthier World

Pdf Summary

The Lung Cancer Consensus Statement, developed by TriMar Strategies, Inc. and presented at major international conferences from 2023 to 2025, highlights critical global gaps in lung cancer prevention, detection, treatment, partnership, and stigma reduction. Analyzing policies across 29 countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Gulf States, and Latin America, the research found that while many countries are WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) signatories, none have fully implemented all commitments. Only four nations possess dedicated national agencies or goals for tobacco control.<br /><br />Early detection programs are limited to a few countries (South Korea, Croatia, Poland, Taiwan, Australia), with persistent outreach deficiencies especially affecting marginalized groups and insufficient attention to risks faced by never-smokers. In certain regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific, lung cancer is more frequently linked to solid fuel exposure than tobacco. Treatment access is uneven; only eight out of seventeen countries have updated clinical guidelines recently, limiting alignment with best practices. While lung cancer patient organizations exist in some countries, many cancer groups lack a specific lung cancer focus.<br /><br />Stigma surrounding lung cancer, largely due to its association with smoking, remains a significant social determinant of health. Fourteen countries have recognized this challenge through published literature, emphasizing the importance of destigmatization efforts to reduce unconscious bias in society and healthcare.<br /><br />The statement calls for urgent, coordinated global action guided by five core principles: improving prevention, focusing on early detection, ensuring equitable and sustainable treatment access, strengthening partnerships and investments, and combating stigma. The authors stress disparities disproportionately impact disadvantaged populations, especially in low-income settings. The consensus urges unified global commitment to bridge existing gaps in lung cancer care to improve outcomes worldwide, stressing that delay or complacency is not an option.

Asset Subtitle

Mary Bussell

Meta Tag

Speaker Mary Bussell

Topic Global Health, Health Services, and Health Economics

Keywords

Lung Cancer Consensus Statement

TriMar Strategies

global lung cancer gaps

tobacco control policies

early detection programs

solid fuel exposure

lung cancer treatment guidelines

lung cancer stigma

healthcare disparities

global lung cancer action