Yen Hsiang Huang

I was very honoured to receive the APSR / KF-CB Lung Cancer Research Young Investigator Award at the APSR 2021 Congress in Kyoto. It’s my first time to submit an abstract to an international conference. Fortunately, I was chosen to present my research in the oral presentation session. However, I was very disappointed that I could not join the APSR 2021 on site because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Actually, I have been to Kyoto three times. Kyoto is a charming city to walk around, and there are a lot of delicious food and desserts. I hope I can visit the beautiful place again as soon as possible.

Through the Zoom webinar, I shared my research with the title ”High Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression influenced the clinical outcomes of osimertinib in treatment naïve advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) - mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients”. In our study, we demonstrated that PD-L1 expression levels, EGFR mutation status, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status influenced clinical outcomes of first-line osimertinib treatment in real-world practice. We also found that advanced EGFR mutated NSCLC patients with PD-L1≥50% experienced shorter PFS and OS than those with PD-L1<50%. It was a very valuable experience for me to discuss the issues about lung cancer treatment including target therapy and immunotherapy, with the chair and other speakers.

Additionally, I was invited as the chair to join the Emerging Talent Symposia (ETS) in APSR 2021. It was also my first time to be a chair in an international meeting. In the ETS session, the speakers presented the clinical updated data of lung sequela in patients with COVID-19 and the pathophysiological finding of COVID-19. During the period, I learned how to organize a session and how to communicate with other chairs and speakers.

I am grateful that APSR 2021 gave me the chance to be a chair and a speaker. I also thank Professor Kwun Fong and Professor Chunxue Bai for funding the KF-CB Lung Cancer Research Young Investigator Award. The award will encourage me to make more effort in the research of lung cancer. Additionally, I’d like to express my sincerest gratitude to Professor Gee-Chen Chang, Chief Tsung-Ying Yang and my family. Without their support, I could not complete my present research and have the opportunity to receive the award. Finally, I’d like to represent Taiwanese people to appreciate Japanese people and their government for providing Taiwan with more than 4 million vaccine doses to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope we can control the COVID-19 pandemic well as soon as possible and participate at the APSR 2022 Congress in person.

Yen Hsiang Huang