Education＆ScienceAPSR Joint Symposium

MTS, August, 2024

A MTS-APSR Joint Symposium at the meeting of the Malaysian Thoracic Society (MTS) Annual Congress 2024 was held on 30^th August 2024.

Drs Anne Chang from Australia, Arata Azuma from Japan and Jin Woo Song from Korea joined the Joint Symposium from APSR members.

MTS – APSR Joint Symposium at the 2024 Malaysian Thoracic Society Annual Congress
Date	30th August 2024
Location	Persada Johor International Convention Centre
Theme	MTS-APSR Joint Symposium on ILD, Lung Cancer & Paeds Bronchiectasis
Talks (25mins)	Title	Learning Objective	Speakers
MTS Speaker 1 8:50-9:15	Interpreting the Spectrum: Thoracic Radiology Insights into Various Subtypes of Interstitial Lung	Understanding the various spectrum of interstitial lung disease from Thoracic Radiologist point of view	Dr Aida Abdul Aziz	MTS
APSR Speaker 1 9:15-9:40	Emerging Frontiers in Pulmonary Fibrosis Management: Next- Generation Strategies for Progressive Disease	Learn about the latest update on the management of progressive pulmonary fibrosis	Dr Arata Azuma, Japan	APSR
MTS Speaker 2 9:40-10:05	Future Perspectives on the TNM Staging for Lung Cancer	Updates on the latest TNM staging strategies for lung cancer	Prof How Soon Hin	MTS
APSR Speaker 2 10:35 ‐11:00	Managing duo challenges: Lung cancer in Interstitial Lung Disease	Learn about difficulties, tips and tricks in managing duo presentation of lung cancer in interstitial lung diseases	Dr Jin Woo Song, Korea	APSR
MTS Speaker 3 11:00 ‐ 11:25	Cough in children: When should we worry?	Learn about tips and tricks in managing cough in children	Dr Patrick Chan	MTS
APSR Speaker 3 11:25 ‐ 11:50	Year in review: Paediatric Bronchiectasis	Update on latest management in paediatric bronchiectasis	Dr Anne Chang, Australia	APSR

The times shown in the programme above are local to Malaysia (GMT+8)

Dr Anne Chang reports

It was not only fun but was also a privilege and honour to represent the APSR at the Malaysian Thoracic Society (MTS) held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The Local Organising Committee with the MTS did an impressive job. They delivered a very high-quality meeting with scientific and educational content tailored for the region and the broader Asia-Pacific continents. Congratulations to the team for their achievement and for strengthening the close relationship with the two Societies. Also, I’ll like to convey my personal thanks to them and the MTS for looking the speakers so well and I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the conference.

It was a 4-day programme that started with workshops followed by 3 full days of plenaries, debates, generic and pharma-relevant symposiums, case presentations, sun-rise sessions for fellows, exhibits, oral and poster presentations, intertwined with official functions and social events that were enjoyed by the participants. In particular, there was a paediatric track throughout the entire conference, which was second to none. Pre-conference there was also an educational day whereby the one for paediatrics was well-attended and the room was full.

The Plenaries included topics on the TB, asthma and new frontiers in respiratory medicine, with excellent local, regional, national and international speakers. The oral research presentations were novel and served to showcase new talent which bodes well for respiratory medicine in Malaysia.

Well done MTS members, keep up your outstanding work and help us all in the Asia-Pacific region reach out and help our communities achieve the good lung health starting from early childhood. Terima kasih banyak banyak.

Dr Arata Azuma reports

I have attended Annual Congress of Malaysian Thoracic Society this summer. My role was an invited speaker of Interstitial lung disease APSR joint-session and also a role of judgement for young investigator award session. What left an impression on me was the sight of young researchers listening to the lectures with great enthusiasm. The 2026 APSR is scheduled to be held in Pinang. I got the impression that Pinang is a highly anticipated respiratory society in the Asia-Pacific region.
best regards,
Arata

Dr Jin Woo Song

Report on the APSR-MTS Joint Symposium at the MTS Annual Congress

It was an honor to represent the APSR at the outstanding MTS Annual Congress 2024, held from August 29 to September 1, 2024, in Johor Bahru. The Local Organizing Committee delivered a high-quality meeting filled with scientific and educational content. We extend our gratitude to them and the MTS for strengthening the collaboration between our two societies.

The four-day program featured workshops, plenary sessions, “Meet the Expert” sessions, exhibits, oral and poster presentations, alongside official functions and social events. The MTS is renowned for its commitment to delivering quality research and education while fostering networking opportunities.

The plenaries and symposiums covered critical topics related to the “Big 5” lung diseases: asthma, COPD, infections, lung cancer, and tuberculosis. Additional discussions included chronic lung diseases such as interstitial lung disease, sleep-related issues, interventions, pulmonary vascular disease, and pleural disease. We were fortunate to hear from excellent speakers from local, regional, national, and international backgrounds.

The MTS-APSR joint symposium focused on two key topics: interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pediatric bronchiectasis, as well as chronic cough. The session on ILD highlighted recent advancements in the development of anti-fibrotic agents, strategies for managing lung cancer in patients with ILD, and the interpretation of ILD imaging, providing valuable updates for all attendees.

Congratulations to the MTS members for their remarkable efforts. Let us continue to work together to improve lung health across the Asia-Pacific region. Terima kasih.

Malaysian Thoracic Society (MTS) reports

REPORT – APSR MTS JOINT SYMPOSIUM DURING MTS CONGRESS 2024

An APSR MTS Joint Symposium was held during the Malaysian Thoracic Society (MTS) Annual Congress 2024 which was organised for the first time in the state of Johor, Malaysia. The three Congress workshops on 29^th August 2024 were held in Amari Hotel and the main conference was held in Persada Johor International Convention Centre, Johor Bahru, Johor, from 30^th August – 1^st September 2024. We were honoured to have three eminent speakers from the APSR join us during our conference: Prof Azuma Arata from Japan, Prof Anne Bernadette Chang from Australia and Prof Song Jin Woo from Korea.

Programme
30th August 2024, 1035 – 1150
S2A – APSR Joint Symposium (Interstitial Lung Disease)
The recent landscape in development of anti-fibriotic agents and prospects for future research
Azuma Arata, Japan
Managing duo challenges: Lung cancer in Interstitial Lung Disease
Song Jin Woo, South Korea
Interpreting the spectrum: Thoracic radiology insights into various subtypes of Interstitial Lung Disease
Aida Abdul Aziz, Malaysia
S2C – APSR Joint Symposium (Paediatric Bronchiectasis and Chronic Cough)
Cough in children: When should we worry?
Patrick Chan Wai Kiong, Malaysia
Protracted bacterial bronchitis: What it is, what it isn’t
Anne Bernadette Chang, Australia
Is prevention and remission of bronchiectasis possible?
Anne Bernadette Chang, Australia

In addition to the APSR MTS Joint Symposium, Prof Anne Chang spoke during the Congress workshop on Paediatric Asthma on 29th August 2024 on the topic “Diagnosing asthma in school going children”. All three speakers were judges during the Oral Presentation session on 30th August 2024 to determine the awards for the best scientific abstracts presented during the Congress.

The MTS 2024 Congress recorded the highest number of registered participants for a venue outside the capital city of Kuala Lumpur with participants from all the states of Malaysia, as well as international delegates from Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Singapore. This year, our programme reflected our collective commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge, embracing new technologies, and fostering collaborations that will lead to better outcomes for our patients. We were honoured to have world-renowned speakers from the APSR as well as from the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Greece and the United States of America sharing their expertise and experience with us.

The MTS conveys its deep gratitude to the Executive Committee of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology for giving us the opportunity to host the Joint symposium.