Helena Linardou, Director of the 4th Oncology Department and Clinical Trials Center at Metropolitan Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Some meetings move science forward by presenting it, others by shaping it. Our global scientific congresses are where new data is unveiled, milestones are marked, and progress is formally shared with the world: essential and the core of our scientific interaction.
But meetings like ITCD 2026 advance science in a different, equally vital way. By bringing together experts who don’t just present results, but sit together to critically dissect them. To look between the lines of papers. To question assumptions.
To share real-world challenges from daily practice across continents. To brainstorm what comes next- new ideas, new collaborations, new studies that have not yet been written. What made ITCD 2026 special was not only the level of expertise, but the spirit: putting aside language, culture, and differences, and connecting through a shared passion- solving the puzzles of lung cancer.
I was privileged, together with my dear friend and colleague Giannis Mountzios, to be there, to represent our country, to be part of and contribute to this unique gathering.
Two full days in an amphitheatre packed with a vibrant scientific audience and many younger colleagues, not just listening, but being inspired by live debate, interaction, disagreement, curiosity. And by seeing that global experts didn’t “fly in, give a talk, and leave” – they stayed. They listened. They asked questions.
They challenged, contributed, and helped build ideas together.
And beyond the amphitheatre: time to connect, to unwind, to recharge, to share laughter and beautiful moments. To build strong friendships through work- and to make work fun!
That’s what ITCD 2026 was.
Thank you for making it happen- the scientific coordinators Delvys Rodriguez-Abreu, Stephen Liu, Luis Paz-Ares, Rosario Garcia Campelo, and all the wonderful global lung community who contributed to this exceptional meeting, Rolf Stahel, Peters Solange, Pilar Garrido López, Enriqueta Felip, Noemi Reguart
Tony Mok, Pasi Jänne, Cecilia Pompili MD PhD FACS, Narjust Florez M.D. FASCO, Lorenza Landi, Rafael Rosell, Marina Chiara Garassino, Martin Reck, Pietro Veronesi, Ernest Nadal, Daniel SW Tan, Remon Jordi, Antonio Calles, Jessica Lin, Sanjay Popat, Arsela Prelaj, Jarushka Naidoo, Jair Bar, Luis E Raez, and so many others… such a stellar faculty that you very very rarely get to have all together!!
Science, at its best, is a collective endeavor! And this felt exactly like that.
Grateful to have been there.”
More posts featuring Helena Linardou on OncoDaily.
