Thoracic malignancies are a menacing worldwide health problem. To treat lung cancer optimally, care must be prompt, multidisciplinary, and patient-centred. In the entire process, pulmonologists have a key role. Pulmonologists and their professional societies should also enhance lung cancer research and education to provide better treatment options and patient care [1].

To meet that challenge, an action plan [2] was designed by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Thoracic Oncology Assembly officers in March 2010, which was subsequently approved and strongly welcomed by the ERS Executive Committee. Today the Thoracic Oncology Assembly has almost achieved all of the following.

1. To create a Task Force for a European initiative for quality management in lung cancer care [3].
2. To develop a specific training in thoracic oncology [4]. The HERMES (Harmonised Education in Respiratory Medicine for European Specialists) syllabus for thoracic oncology has been published and the curriculum will be finalised this year.
3. To increase the number of meaningful publications in the ERS journals.
4. To develop relationships with other European societies, such as the European Society for Medical Oncology, the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, the European Society of Thoracic Surgery, the European society of Radiology, the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery.
5. To promote research in thoracic oncology. With this in mind, the Thoracic Oncology Assembly leaders decided to build an ERS Research Seminar on Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer. ...

Eur Respir J. 2015 Nov;46(5):1239-41