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Q: As Head of Assembly 12, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s ERS Congress?
I am excited about the excellent program of activity at ERS Congress 2024, dealing with state-of-the-art topics regarding all of the respiratory field aspects. As Head of Assembly 12, I am looking forward to attending the sessions dedicated to interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). More specifically, I am looking forward to the oral and poster presentations, in particularly of our talented early-career members, and to the “Lungs on fire” session regarding patients with ILDs, to have the opportunity to exchange ideas and experience on the treatment and clinical management of our patients, as well as, on notable translational research in our field. Also, I am particularly excited for the sessions dedicated to ILDs that include high-quality presentations on hot topics by respectable experts, such as the Pro-Con debate “Should connective tissue related Interstitial Lung Diseases be treated at the earliest opportunity?” chaired by M. Kreuter and N. Chaudhuri.
Q: What in your opinion will be the hot topics for Interstitial lung diseases?
In my opinion, hot topics for ILDs in the ERS Congress 2024 will be air pollution and environmental hazards and how these affect respiratory diseases, artificial intelligence in medicine and dealing with the high burden of ILDs on the patients’ quality of life.
Air pollution, occupational and environmental hazards are of particular interest as these factors are affecting respiratory diseases, including ILDs. A special session will be dedicated to this topic: “Why is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis not so idiopathic? Prevention of occupational and environmental hazards and protection of vulnerable individuals with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis” chaired by R.de la Hoz, M. Kreuter, and O. Dumas.
Artificial intelligence has recently been introduced in our clinical practice and it will in the future become part of our patients’ diagnosis and management. This is true for all respiratory diseases, but in particular for ILDs. A special session will be dedidated to this topic: “Imaging clinical cases: artificial intelligence and chest imaging: getting the balance right – Artificial intelligence in lung fibrosis imaging and pulmonary nodule management” chaired by C. McCarthy, S. Tomassetti, and A. Tarnoki.
ILDs are conditions with high morbidity and mortality, causing high burden on the patients’ quality of life. Thus, palliative care and pulmonary rehabilitation are of great importance for our patients. A special session will be dedicated to this topic: “Integrated care and novel technologies for ILD Congress: How service integration and interoperability can optimise the ILD patients’ journey from diagnosis to end of life care?” chaired by C. Robalo Cordeiro, C. Moor, and M. Koulopoulou.
Q: Tell us your top three picks from the Congress programme?
1. Experts interview – Enthusiast meets experienced: ILD
Sun, 8 September, 11:45–12:10 CEST
Chaired by N. Sticker and L. Fabbri and presented by M. Kreuter. This will be a particularly interesting interview as it will give us the opportunity to hear the personal experience of one of our most respectable experts in our field. The enthusiasm and love for ILDs will trigger and facilitate our early-career members on the field with their clinical and research work.
2. State of the art session – Interstitial lung diseases: Pitfalls in clinical trials in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Sunday, 8 September, 13:45–15:15 CEST
Chaired by A. Froidure, M. Wijsenbeek, and myself (K. Antoniou). Clinical trials are of upmost importance for the development of new therapeutic agents for our patients, who are suffering from high morbidity and mortality. Failed trials, while they are usually treated with less interest and attention by the scientific community, are of great significance to teach us lessons and facilitate the initiation of more useful endpoints in future trials.
3. Clinical cases: Lungs on fire: interstitial lung diseases?
Sunday, 8 September, 15:30–17:15 CEST
Chaired by A. Froidure, M. Wijsenbeek, and myself (K. Antoniou). This session is of particular interest as real-life clinical scenarios will be presented in an interactive manner. Experts and more junior clinicians will have the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas and personal experience. As a result, this interaction will help improve future diagnosis and management of our patients.
Q: As Secretary of ERS Assembly 12, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s ERS Congress?
There are many aspects I am very much looking forward to. Meeting many colleagues and friends from around the world, discussing about the latest insights into pneumology in general and ILD in particular, but also continuing friendships and cooperations. Furthermore, Vienna is such a beautiful site – it will be great to also visit this marvellous place. But also inside our Assembly we will continue our mentorships with a meeting during the conference and also I am looking forward to our Assembly meeting to discuss new ideas and future concepts. Anyone who likes to join us for the Assembly meeting, is highly welcomed.
Q: What in your opinion will be the hot topics for Interstitial lung diseases?
ILD itself is a hot topic for Congress. There are many great new data to discuss, some new guidelines in ILD even in very rare conditions like pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, and it will interesting to see advances in how systemic diseases affects the lungs and fibrotic interstitial lung diseases.
Q: Tell us your top three picks from the Congress programme?
1. Respiratory medicine meets other disciplines: When systemic rheumatic diseases involve the lungs
Tuesday, 10 September, 13:45–15:15 CEST
This session will illustrate how changes in cellular metabolism play a role in the development and progression of chronic lung diseases, and could represent attractive pharmacological targets.
2. Symposium: Neglected aspects in the care of patients with sarcoidosis
Tuesday, 10 September, 08:30–10:00 CEST
Experts in the field highlight what we should not forget in sarcoidosis like sleep apnoea, neuropathy, and especially how to maintain quality of life in this complex disease.
3. Experts interview – Enthusiast meets experienced: ILD
Sun, 8 September, 11:45–12:10 CEST
A young, enthusiastic colleague will discuss ILD/IPF and current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, with a more experienced ILD expert putting this into the context of the evidence. For example – we should not treat IPF with immunomodulators whereas this was the treatment of choice until 10 years ago. A hopefully new interactive and lively format for early career members and still young pulmonologists.