The addition of pembrolizumab to chemotherapy continued to improve overall survival and progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a final analysis of KEYNOTE-407 published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology recently.

The NLCA has published its Spotlight report on curative
intent treatment of stage I–IIIa non-small-cell lung cancer.  78 of 133 Hospital Trusts took part, providing data on nearly two thousand patients. Key findings showed that 62% (46% in 2015) of patients with early-stage disease who did not have surgery received radiotherapy, while 35% (46% in 2015) still received no specific anticancer treatment. Access report.

Takeda invites you to join them for a non-promotional, educational mental health webinar on 29th July (1-2pm.) Consultant psychiatrists, Dr Greg Shields and Dr Lars Hansen, will provide insight into the psychological approach to wellbeing for healthcare professionals and an introduction to various CBT techniques for your wellbeing. UK and Ireland healthcare professionals only. More information.

If you missed the Action Mesothelioma Day you can still catch it on YouTube. The video includes a presentation by Professor Sanjay Poppat on the future Mesothelioma Research programme as well as case studies and infomation for patients.

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) will present potentially practice-changing studies and recent advances in thoracic oncology at the IASLC WCLC 2020 Virtual Presidential Symposium on August 8, 2020.  This Symposium is a prelude to the IASLC Virtual WCLC 2020 scheduled for January 28-31, 2020. Find out more.

We launched a survey last month to find out from members about the impact of COVID-19 on patients and to explore how the Lung CNS workforce has been impacted. As services begin to recover we are concerned about the workload and the services we will be able to deliver to support our patients. Please complete the survey if you have not yet. A report on the results of the survey will be shared with the membership.

We're delighted to report that we will be running a series of webinars throughout the summer and remainder of 2020 to support you in your professional development. Featuring a range of clinical, service development and self-care topics we will be providing expert support in bite-sized chunks that you can fit around your day-to-day life. Watch out for more details coming soon.

Our Good Practice Guide is available online in a fully searchable format and provides great tips to help you in every day practice. We'd like to keep this guide up to date with current examples of good practice including any learning from COVID-19. If you have an example of good practice please do share it online using our simple webform.

In late Spring the NMC announced that registrants due to revalidate from July onwards can request a three-month extension and, after that, a further three-month extension may be allowed if the individual can demonstrate a valid reason. This is the second time the NMC has extended revalidation deadlines this year. More information.

A survey (ICON) of 4,000 UK nurses and midwives carried out in the Spring by the RCN Research Society found that one in four were reporting severe or extremely severe depression, anxiety or stress. However, few respondents said they had accessed services to support their health and psychological well-being.  A further survey is to be carried out in the recovery stages of COVID.  Make sure you take time for yourself and team members. Read our web page on self-care for more information.