First Central Asian Forum on Lung Cancer

Our plain-English summary of First Central Asian Forum on Lung Cancer, by J. Amankulov, D.F. Yankelevitz, A. Mukhamejan, et al (JTO Clinical and Research Reports, 2026).

The study

• Authors: J. Amankulov, D.F. Yankelevitz, A. Mukhamejan, R. Yip, E. Taioli, B. Pyenson, J. Mulshine, C.I. Henschke
• Journal: JTO Clinical and Research Reports
• Published: 2026;7(1):100898
• Type of article: Editorial
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

The First Central Asian Forum on Lung Cancer was held at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan on April 8 and 9, 2025. Organized by the Kazakhstan Cancer Society, KazIOR, and the I-ELCAP/IELCART consortia, the forum brought together regional and international experts to address the urgent challenge of late-stage lung cancer diagnosis in Central Asia. National data show that fewer than one-third of patients are diagnosed at stages I and II, while over 70% present with advanced disease. High smoking prevalence, environmental exposures such as radon, asbestos, and industrial pollution, and strong geographic variation in risk highlight the need for tailored screening programs. Kazakhstan is well-positioned to scale up low-dose CT (LDCT) screening given its CT scanner capacity, mobile units for underserved regions, and prior pilot screening successes. Conference sessions emphasized risk modeling, cost-effectiveness, artificial intelligence applications, and the added value of LDCT for detecting cardiovascular disease and emphysema. Plans are underway for collaborative projects and future conferences to strengthen regional capacity for early detection and treatment.

© 2025 The Authors.

In plain English

This brief report described the First Central Asian Forum on Lung Cancer, held at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan on April 8 and 9, 2025. It was a conference report, not a research study, and it reported no new data on asbestos. The authors listed asbestos among Kazakhstan's environmental exposures, describing the country as a major asbestos mining and producing country, alongside radon, uranium mining and industrial pollution. They gave no figures on asbestos exposure or asbestos-related disease and named no fiber type. Citing national oncology data, the report stated that in 2024, 9.5% of lung cancer cases were found at Stage I and 18.5% at Stage II. Nearly 72% were found at advanced stages: 45.4% at Stage III and 26.5% at Stage IV. It also described an earlier Kazakh pilot CT screening program that found lung cancer in 2.9% of never-smoking women and 1.1% of never-smoking men. Sessions covered screening eligibility, cost-effectiveness, artificial intelligence, and detecting heart disease and emphysema on low-dose CT. The authors concluded that Kazakhstan would be well-positioned to act as a hub for Central Asia, and they planned a second conference.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Brief report describing a scientific conference (not a research study)
• Who was studied: The First Central Asian Forum on Lung Cancer, held at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan on April 8 and 9, 2025, with regional and international experts; background figures concern lung cancer patients and residents of Kazakhstan
• Exposure: No exposure was studied. Asbestos was mentioned only in passing as one of Kazakhstan's environmental exposures, together with radon, uranium mining, industrial pollution and smoking. No fiber type, product, job or dose was given.
• Main results:
  • Cited national oncology data: in 2024, 9.5% of lung cancer cases in Kazakhstan were identified at Stage I
  • Cited national oncology data: 18.5% of lung cancer cases were identified at Stage II
  • Cited national oncology data: nearly 72% of lung cancer cases were detected at advanced stages
  • Cited national oncology data: 45.4% of lung cancer cases were at Stage III
  • Cited national oncology data: 26.5% of lung cancer cases were at Stage IV
  • Cited estimate: every fifth person aged 50 to 70 years in Kazakhstan is a smoker
  • Cited estimate: smoking prevalence in this age group was 36% among men and 9% among women
  • An earlier Kazakh pilot CT screening program, cited from a separate publication, found lung cancer in 2.9% of never-smoking women and 1.1% of never-smoking men. The authors said this was possibly a consequence of the many environmental stressors.
  • Conference sessions covered risk factors and eligibility criteria for screening
  • Conference sessions covered artificial intelligence-based image processing
  • Conference sessions covered using low-dose CT to detect heart disease and emphysema in addition to lung cancer
  • Planning had begun for a second conference
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, with these capabilities, Kazakhstan would be well-positioned to act as a hub for Central Asia to facilitate new regional lung cancer programs

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Lung Cancer, Environmental Exposure, Emphysema.

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