Lung cancer is a tough opponent. Doctors, nurses and researchers must stay up to date with the latest developments in this rapidly changing area of medicine.
Their knowledge helps them address patients’ needs and improve outcomes.
Dr Sanjay Popat, Consultant Thoracic Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden Hospital and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Molecular Genetics and Genomics Group at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, highlights this challenge.
The role of the British Thoracic Oncology Group
To support collaboration and learning, experts created the British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG).
The group brings together professionals who want to share ideas, information and innovation. It also supports the development of new research.
BTOG works to ensure that patients across the UK and Ireland receive equal access to the best possible care for thoracic cancers.
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation strongly supports these aims. We are proud members of BTOG and participate in its annual meeting each year.
The 2018 BTOG meeting
This year’s BTOG meeting takes place in Dublin.
Several members of our team are attending the event. These include Deputy Chief Executive Mike Grundy, Director of Medicine Dr Jesme Fox, Director of Prevention, Information & Support Lorraine Dallas, and Head of Clinical & Research Projects Jackie Tebbs.
They are joining many of the leading researchers and healthcare professionals working in lung cancer.
Representing the patient voice
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation remains the only UK charity dedicated solely to lung cancer.
For that reason, we believe we must stand at the centre of communities like BTOG. Our role is to represent the voice of lung cancer patients.
Many patients feel that others do not always listen to their concerns or value their experiences.
We work hard to change that perception. Our organisation places patients and their needs at the centre of everything we do. We also ensure that patient experience forms part of every discussion.
A time of rapid progress
This is an exciting time in lung cancer research and treatment.
New immunotherapy drugs are transforming expectations for many patients with advanced lung cancer. At the same time, researchers are making progress toward accurate blood tests that could detect the disease much earlier.
As the only UK charity dedicated solely to lung cancer, we believe it’s vital that we should be at the very heart of such a community of experts – after all, we are the ‘voice’ of lung cancer patients.
Paula Chadwick, chief executive of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
Collaboration that drives change
BTOG provides an ideal platform for collaboration.
The meeting gathers many of the brightest experts working to understand lung cancer better, improve treatments and deliver better outcomes for patients.
Medical professionals approach their work as scientists. They regularly challenge each other’s ideas, evidence and conclusions.
At BTOG meetings, researchers present their work to colleagues and invite debate and scrutiny. These discussions can appear intense to outsiders. However, they often spark new ideas and more focused research.
BTOG is far more than a talking shop. The group helps drive change, improvement and better outcomes for patients.
Our role at the meeting is clear. We ensure that patients and their families remain at the centre of every discussion.
Lung cancer may be a tough opponent. Fortunately, patients have a strong team fighting alongside them.