A unified consensus document for improving lung cancer care in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has been officially launched in Singapore, marking a pivotal moment in the regional fight against lung cancer.
This represents the first comprehensive consensus for the region, an evidence-based agreement between stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem that outlines shared priorities, strategies, and recommendations to elevate the standard of lung cancer care across diverse health systems.
The initiative involved over 43 contributors, including clinicians, academics, patient advocates, and health organisations across 14 APAC health systemss.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the APAC region, and accounts for nearly 60% of global cases. With regional incidence projected to exceed 1.8 million by 2040, the need for a cohesive, regional strategy to combat the disease has never been more urgent.
Furthermore, survival rates in the APAC region often lag behind global benchmarks, with five-year survival rates frequently below 20%. This fragmented landscape highlights the critical need for a coordinated approach, one that addresses the unique epidemiological, environmental, and healthcare challenges within the region.
The APAC Lung Cancer Policy Consensus is the result of an extensive collaborative process involving two expert working sessions, one patient workshop and a final expert voting session, with input from patients, clinicians and academic leaders across the region.
The consensus lays out a unified policy framework anchored in five core principles, all aimed at driving sustainable, equitable improvements in lung cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and stigma reduction across the region.
Importantly, the APAC Consensus aligns closely with the Global Lung Cancer Consensus, which was first ratified at the 9th International Lung Cancer Network in 2023. By endorsing this global statement, the APAC region reaffirms its commitment to improving lung cancer outcomes.
The APAC Lung Cancer Policy Consensus is not just a regional adaptation of global recommendations; it is a comprehensive response to the distinct challenges faced by the APAC region. Unlike Western health systems that primarily focus on smoking-related lung cancer, the APAC region must contend with a higher prevalence of lung cancer in never-smokers due to factors such as environmental pollutants, and genetic predispositions. Moreover, the region's healthcare systems are highly heterogeneous, ranging from well-resourced settings with cutting-edge cancer care to lower-resource environments building on basic cancer services.
