Official Release: ASPIRE Flagship White Paper and Launch Webinar

We are thrilled to announce the official release of the ASPIRE for Lung Cancer’s flagship White Paper, “Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Lung Cancer Care and Access in the APAC Region”. This milestone launch, aligned with Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, was marked by a dedicated Launch Webinar that unveiled key findings from the White Paper and featured insightful presentations from an esteemed panel of experts representing diverse health systems.

The webinar began with a presentation by Judy Li, Consortium Manager, who provided an assessment of the lung cancer landscape across the nine Asia-Pacific (APAC) health systems evaluated in the White Paper. The presentation underscored the urgent need for collaborative action to address the region’s escalating lung cancer burden and outlined the White Paper’s role in illuminating this critical issue to catalyse collective action. Key highlights include an overview of the current state of lung cancer policy in APAC and the importance of advocacy for critical policy changes to improve care and access for patients. The findings underscored that tackling lung cancer in APAC demands intensified and coordinated efforts.

Building on these insights, the White Paper identified five key success factors critical to tackling lung cancer, along with an assessment of the nine health systems measured against each factor. This analysis revealed actionable gaps and opportunities, providing an evidence-based tool to drive meaningful progress within individual health systems and across the region.

Following Judy’s presentation, leading experts shared their perspectives, enriching the discussion:

• Prof. Tran Thi Thanh Huong, Vietnam National Cancer Institute, presented on “Building Resilient Lung Cancer Care Systems in Resource-Constrained Settings: Lessons from Vietnam”, highlighting the critical factors for overcoming challenges in resource-constrained settings.
• Mr. Sanjeev Sharma & Ms. Vandana Mahajan, Lung Connect India, presented on “Patient-Centric Approaches to Improving Access and Awareness in Lung Cancer Care in India”, focusing on strategies to enhance patient engagement and care accessibility.
• Prof. Chong-Jen Yu, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, presented on “Advancing Precision Medicine in Taiwan” underscoring the significant role of innovative strategies in transforming lung cancer care.

A panel discussion followed the presentations, providing deeper insights and perspectives. We extend our sincere gratitude to our distinguished speakers for their invaluable contributions.

The event concluded with a presentation by Will Brown, Consortium Director, who shared the White Paper’s key recommendations for improving patient access and lung cancer care:

1. Strengthen political commitment and centralised leadership
2. Enhance performance tracking through centralised registries
3. Advocate for high-risk- population-based screening initiatives
4. Improve access to timely diagnosis, treatment, and care
5. Adopt integrated approaches to resource challenges

We invite you to explore and download a series of resources, including the White Paper, Health System Profiles, and Infographic. Click here to access these resources.

The recording of the Launch Webinar is also available for viewing: Click here to watch the recording

Looking ahead, we will continue exploring key topics along the patient journey and fostering expert discussions to drive policy change in lung cancer care. This includes hosting a series of policy roundtables in selected health systems, and engaging with stakeholders to discuss tailored actions for improving lung cancer care and patient outcomes.

Every healthcare stakeholder plays a crucial role in the fight against lung cancer. Together, we can reduce mortality and improve outcomes across the APAC region. We invite you to join us in this collective effort.

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