NCCN Annual Conference: Dr. Koh on Thoracic Oncology Highlights

Wui-Jin Koh, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), joined Lung Cancers Today to share thoracic oncology highlights from the upcoming NCCN 2025 Annual Conference, taking place from March 28 to 30 in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Koh outlined key thoracic oncology presentations that conference attendees can look forward to this year, which include sessions focused on recent treatment advances in nonmetastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), survival improvements in small cell lung cancer, and therapeutic advancements for pleural mesothelioma.

“Many oncologists are going to see a substantial number of patients with lung cancer, whether it’s non–small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, more uncommon mesotheliomas, but they’re all an important part of patient presentation,” he explained. “And we want to emphasize that there are advances in which patients can lead better lives and longer lives with this treatment. It’s a testament to science development that there has been a lot of research in lung cancer and that has led to the development and approval of new treatments. So, one of the goals of NCCN is to make sure that we educate clinicians— as well as patients, caregivers—about what the new treatment options are.”

Furthermore, he highlighted sessions that span the continuum of cancer care, including presentations on mental health and patient quality of life.
“As we introduce new treatments, as patients live longer, and as clinicians have gotten more knowledgeable, we recognize that treatments have effects on patients,” Dr. Koh said. “They may live longer, but we need to be cognizant of the impact that the treatments have on patients and their quality of life.”

Dr. Koh pointed to emerging areas of thoracic oncology as well, such as the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), which he explained could be useful to healthcare professionals in lung cancer screening and research.

“AI can be very helpful in increasing the number of persons diagnosed if they undergo screening with early-stage lung cancer where it is not most curable,” he said. “We believe that AI could be used to help record, or that patient-reported outcomes can be analyzed by AI, to give clinicians a better idea of what patients are truly experiencing in their quality of life.”

Dr. Koh concluded by highlighting conference presentations that expand beyond the field of thoracic oncology, including sessions that focus on the treatment of oligometastatic diseases.

“Another area that I think is increasing in importance and recognition is the treatment of what we call oligometastatic disease,” he explained. “There are many people, especially with new advances in treatment, that may develop metastatic disease in only one or a few sites, and those persons can actually be treated differently than someone with diffuse metastatic disease. We’re going to have a session that focuses on what you can do in patients with oligometastatic disease. It does include lung cancer, but it also includes people with prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.”