Press Release
Aug 16, 2019
DENVER – Christine Qiong Wu, a lung cancer survivor from Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, will be recognized by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) at the IASLC 2019 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Barcelona, Spain. Qiong Wu will accept the Advocate Travel Award, which is given to five individuals to help them attend and participate in the IASLC WCLC.
Qiong Wu was a professor of engineering at the University of Manitoba, Canada, but in June 2015, she had to take a leave of absence due to her cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, her cancer spread to the brain, weakening her right side and making it difficult to walk and travel.
Qiong Wu will attend the IASLC WCLC to gain more knowledge about lung cancer and to improve awareness of lung cancer within the Chinese community. She realized that in Chinese culture, cancer is rarely discussed between family members, including a patient’s mental health.
“Mental health is left on the back burner when you have cancer. This is not something new, but it is a really serious problem and has not caught much attention at all in China,” said Qiong Wu.
Qiong Wu joined the IASLC five years ago to learn more about the disease, including the mental health aspect.
Several years ago, Qiong Wu started the Chinese ROS1 Lung Cancer Group. She hopes that by attending the WCLC and representing the ROS1 Lung Cancer Group, she can exchange ideas with other patients, caregivers, advocates and doctors, and gain more information to share with her group. She also hopes she can help shine a light on the mental health aspect with Chinese patients and show them there are resources they can access to help them.
“It is becoming more and more important to involve patients in the ‘fight’ to cure lung cancer. It needs more education and more collaborations between patients, caregivers, activists, scientists and doctors,” Qiong Wu said.
As an Advocate Travel Award Recipient, Qiong Wu will receive complimentary conference registration, a fixed monetary stipend to help offset travel costs, four nights’ accommodation at one of the conference contracted hotels and free IASLC membership for 2020, allowing Qiong Wu to continue lung cancer educational and advocacy work.
About the WCLC:
The WCLC is the world’s largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, attracting more than 7,000 researchers, physicians and specialists from more than 100 countries. The goal is to increase awareness, collaboration and understanding of lung cancer, and to help participants implement the latest developments across the globe. The conference will cover a wide range of disciplines and unveil several research studies and clinical trial results. For more information, visit wclc2019.iaslc.org.
About the IASLC:
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated solely to the study of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 7,500 lung cancer specialists across all disciplines in over 100 countries, forming a global network working together to conquer lung and thoracic cancers worldwide. The association also publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the primary educational and informational publication for topics relevant to the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of all thoracic malignancies. Visit www.iaslc.org for more information.