The EU/US Collaboration on Screening for Lung Cancer

At the 4th International Lung Cancer Molecular Biomarker Workshop, Liverpool 27th-29th, 2005, which was arranged by Dr. John Field colleagues, the EU/US collaboration in the rapid progressing field of lung cancer screening, was further developed. Since 2001 a coordinating group of lung cancer scientists (Dr. John Field, UK, Dr Christian Brambilla, France, Dr Fred R. Hirsch, US, Dr Robert Smith, US and Dr. James L. Mulshine US) have tried to coordinate activities in order to prepare for a potential pooling of lung cancer screening data from US and Europe.

At the above mentioned meeting new data mainly from the I-ELCAP, US and the NELSON trial in Europe were presented. The screening activities have within the last years emerged also in Europe, mainly through the NELSON trial coordinated from Holland (PI :Dr. Robert van Klaveren), which also now include screening projects in other European countries including Denmark, which is the first European country to achieve official government support for lung cancer screening.

At the meeting, in which representatives from the US National Cancer Institute and the US-ACRIN trial were participating, a more formal structure of the EU/US collaboration was approved.