Doctors gather at Shanghai forum

More than 800 medical experts in heart and chest disease from home and abroad gathered in Shanghai for the first China-Eastern Europe International Forum on Thoracic Disease, which began on Friday.

They will have in-depth discussions on important issues, including cancer incidence in China, precision treatment of lung cancer, tumor drug resistance, immunotherapy, chest surgery and anesthesia, lung transplants and a new standard to divide stages of lung cancer, at the two-day forum jointly held by Shanghai Chest Hospital, the Shanghai Hospital Association and the Hospital Affiliated to Charles University in Prague.

Shanghai's vice-mayor Weng Tiehui said at the forum's opening ceremony Shanghai is striving to build itself into a medical center and Asian medical innovation city.

"We're willing to deepen health cooperation with Eastern European countries, strengthen exchanges on diagnosis and treatment techniques and improve the level of health services for the sake of the well-being of the people," she said.

Pan Changqing, president of Shanghai Chest Hospital, said the hospital's communication with the hospital in Prague, started in 2015 when the two sides signed an international multi-center research project on lung cancer immunotherapy.

The two hospitals have carried out exchanges in various programs, including holding training for physicians in cardiac intervention treatment earlier this year, Pan said.

Jiri Votruba, deputy head of the Hospital Affiliated to Charles University in Prague, said he anticipated the forum will help doctors further collaborate and innovate. 

Sub-forums will also be held in the fields of chest surgery, radiotherapy, nursing and medical treatment for participants to exchange their experiences and discuss new technological advances.