LOS ANGELES (October 17, 2016) – A study from Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, Wisconsin, reveals to the value of blood-based genomic and proteomic testing in patients with lung cancer at the time of initial diagnoses. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) refers to a group of cancers that share common characteristics but have different genetic features that make them more or less responsive to specific treatments. In this study, genomic and proteomic testing of blood specimens rapidly identified genetic mutations that determined optimal, personalized treatment. Compared with testing of biopsy specimens, the blood tests yielded both important diagnostic information much faster (within 72 hours) regardless of disease stage, and significantly decreasing the wait period between diagnoses and the start of treatment.

World Lung Cancer Day commemorates, celebrates and supports those impacted by lung cancer

GLENVIEW, Ill.  (July 29, 2016) – On World Lung Cancer Day on 1 August, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) and its members celebrate and support those impacted by lung cancer. FIRS joins the grassroots efforts of the lung cancer community to raise awareness about lung cancer and its global impact, creating an educational movement of understanding lung cancer risks as well as early treatment around the world.

INVESTMENT AND ACTION NEEDED TO END TB

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, March 24, 2016 -In support of World TB Day, 24 March, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) calls for united efforts to mobilise the financial and human resources to end tuberculosis (TB).

The Forum of International Respiratory Societies and Its Global Members Aim to Raise Awareness About Lung Cancer on World Cancer Day

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, February 1, 2016 – In recognition of World Cancer Day on February 4, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), alongside members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), support the World Cancer Day: 'We Can. I Can.' campaign. The global campaign highlights how everyone, as a collective or as individuals, can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer. FIRS is also using the day to highlight the global burden of lung cancer.

Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) Urges Continued International Efforts to Fight acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) on World AIDS Day

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Dec. 1, 2015— World AIDS Day, held annually on the first day of December each year since 1988, is an opportunity for people around the world to join in the fight, show their support for those living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and commemorate the lives of those who have died. The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), an organization comprised of the world’s leading international respiratory societies working together to improve lung health globally, supports these efforts through research, patient care and advocacy.

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, November 18, 2015. World COPD Day is observed each year in November to highlight the burden of this chronic respiratory disease affecting more than 200 million people globally and causing about 3 million deaths annually. COPD is the sixth major cause of death and disability in low- and middle income countries and is projected to become the third cause of death by 2020. The economic burden is enormous, in the US alone total costs for COPD were estimated to be about 50 billion USD in 2010.

Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) highlights the need to prevent pneumonia and strengthen management strategies globally as part of the “Decade of the Lung” initiative.

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, November 12, 2015. The Decade of the Lung initiative, recently launched by FIRS, serves to highlight the importance of respiratory diseases globally. Amongst these, pneumonia is one of the five major respiratory diseases worldwide, responsible for substantial illness in children and adults. Pneumonia is the main cause of death in children under 5 years, of hospitalisation and of health care utilisation.

Amsterdam, September 28, 2015 – The UN Member States have adopted the post 2015 development agenda during their 70^th UN General Assembly meeting in New Work on 25-27 September 2015.

The Forum of International Respiratory Societies and Its Global Members Aim to Raise Awareness about Lung Cancer Risks through New Initiative

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, July 29, 2015 – In recognition of World Lung Cancer Day on August 1, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), launches its World Lung Cancer Day 2015: Honor, Unite, Inspire campaign.

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, 31 May 2015 - On World No Tobacco Day (31 May, 2015), the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is mobilising its members to raise awareness of the health benefits of plain packaging for cigarettes.  

World No Tobacco Day is observed worldwide today and provides an opportunity to draw attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes.

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, May 5, 2015 – It is estimated that between 300 and 400 million people worldwide suffer from asthma and about 250,000 people die each year, most of them in low- and middle income countries. Although asthma affects all ages, races and ethnicities, wide variation exists in different countries and in different groups within the same country. During the past three decades, asthma has been increasing in developed and developing countries and it is the most common chronic disease in children as described in the Global Asthma Report 2014 (1).

Cape Town, Glenview, Lausanne, Montevideo, New York, Paris, Tokyo, March 24, 2015 – The global TB prevalence rate, defined as the number of individuals living with TB disease per every 100,000 people, is decreasing more slowly now than at any time since the year 2000, according to data reported annually by the World Health Organization (WHO). The years 2012-2013 (the most recent years for which data are available) saw the slowest reported decline in global TB prevalence in 15 years.

During the World Conference on Tobacco or Health 2015 in Abu Dhabi, held from 17 – 21 March 2015, Prof Dean Schraufnagel discussed in a Meet the Expert Session the issue of e-cigarettes . The position statement of FIRS on e-cigarettes and the Report on "Respiratory Diseases in the World" were distributed to conference participants.

World AIDS Day, held annually on the first day of December each year since 1988, is an opportunity for people around the world to join in the fight, show their support for those living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and commemorate the lives of those who have died.

On World COPD Day (19 November 2014), the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is mobilising its members to raise awareness and help prevent the risk factors that cause COPD.

The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) note with concern the current outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa. The 2014 Ebola outbreak is the largest Ebola outbreak in history and a public health emergency of international concern.

Prior to the UN review meeting on NCDs on July 10 and 11, FIRS and the NCD Alliance organized a panel discussion on July 9 which discussed the topic "Shared Drivers, Shared Solutions: NCDs, Lung Health and Sustainable Development."

Every year, on 31 May, many organizations, countries and advocates mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the enormous burden caused by the use of tobacco. Tobacco kills nearly six million people each year and it is estimated that more than 600,000 non-smokers are dying from breathing second-hand smoke. For World No Tobacco Day 2014, there is a call on countries to raise taxes on tobacco.

World Asthma Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world. World Asthma Day 2013 took place on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 around the theme "You Can Control Your Asthma." This year GINA also introduced a sub-theme, "It's Time to Control Asthma," encouraging activity organizers around the world to complete the sentence, "It's Time to..." as relevant to their event and target audience.

World TB Day, falling on March 24th each year, is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis today remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the deaths of nearly one-and-a-half million people each year, mostly in developing countries.