Clinical techniques, imaging and endoscopy: ERS Congress 2025

Elżbieta Magdalena Grabczak – Secretary

Q. As Head of Assembly 14, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s Congress? 

This year, the congress theme is “Respiratory health around the globe”, which gives us a great opportunity to have a closer look at global heterogeneity in diagnosis, treatment and management of various respiratory diseases. We come from different countries, with various financial and technical possibilities but also limitations. Therefore, I’m looking forward not only to see excellent examples of highly advanced procedures in diagnosis, staging and treatment of lung cancer or complex diseases of lungs (ILD, COPD) or pleura (MPE) during live sessions on Tuesday morning  (session 435 and 450), but also to face differences in management of lung cancer and pleural diseases between high- and low-income countries (session 171 on Sunday afternoon and session 368 on Monday afternoon).  It’s not only about learning from one another, but also to increase our awareness, understanding and respect for differences and conditions we work and live in.

Q. What in your opinion will be the hot topics for clinical techniques, imaging and endoscopy? 

It’s almost impossible to mark a single hot topic of this year’s ERS Congress. Besides live endoscopy sessions, which are always first choice for people involved and interested in interventional pulmonology, I’d like to draw your attention to sessions documenting significant changes in staging and treatment of lung cancer using endobronchial ultrasound (Session 171, on Sunday afternoon) and challenges that have to be faced in management of lung cancer in patients with respiratory comorbidities (e.g. COPD, emphysema, ILD and pulmonary hypertension) on Monday afternoon (session 348).

For our colleagues interested in imaging (not only radiologists), I would like to recommend a session with Clinical Cases presenting several imaging techniques that can be used for both diagnostic purposes and guiding interventional procedures (on Sunday afternoon, session 193).

A real novelty of the Congress will be a mini-symposium dedicated to pathogenesis, possible manifestation, and treatment of primary pulmonary lymphomas, based on the use of new imaging techniques (such as photon-counting computed tomography and nuclear medicine) and endoscopic or other minimally invasive approaches (Monday morning, Session 265).

I’m glad to notice that more and more lectures involve use of ultrasound in the daily practice of respiratory physicians for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.  A real must-see, in my opinion, is the session dedicated to training in thoracic ultrasound and the state-of-the-art for thoracic ultrasound US-guided interventions (on Monday morning, session 280).

Q. Tell us your top three picks from the Congress programme.

Having limited options for choosing the best topics in the congress programme to only top three picks, I would choose:

• For interventional pulmonology a session entitled “A new era of endobronchial ultrasound and imaging in staging and treatment of lung cancer from a global perspective” facing new expectations from EBUS procedures for more precise N1 staging and tissue sampling for biomarker analysis. This topic is of high interest and I look forward to not only great lectures provided by real experts in the field but also to a vivid, practical discussion after the session. (Session 171)
• For imaging my choice is a session entitled “The world of imaging: working together.” demonstrating that various imaging techniques may be used by various specialists (radiologists, clinicians and surgeons) for patient diagnosis and treatment (session 193). The sessions that gather various specialists usually enrich most and are most fruitful, showing the same problem from different perspectives.
• In accordance with increasing interest in the use of thoracic ultrasound in daily practice, we should put special stress on proper education and training in regard to the diagnostic aspects of ultrasound but also its use for interventional procedures. Therefore, session entitled: “Education in thoracic ultrasound”, being a Yernault lecture, is my third pick from the congress programme. (Session 280)

I deeply believe that everyone will find a lot of interesting topics in the congress programme and if my suggestions can be a help, I’ll be delighted.

I wish you all a great time in Amsterdam, unforgettable lectures, absorbing discussions, and exciting exchange of experience, as our input in the improvement of respiratory health around the globe.

Amanda Dandanell Juul – Early-Career Member Representative

Q. As Early Career Member Representative of ERS Assembly 14, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s ERS Congress?

Each year I am amazed at high quality of all the abstracts submitted. I am very much looking forward to presentations on new original research. I think there are some really strong up and coming results presented in both poster sessions and oral presentations this year.

Q. In your opinion, what will be the highlights for ECMs in Assembly 14 during the ERS Congress?

Last year’s congress theme was “humans and machines – getting the balance right”, which really gave us an opportunity to explore all the latest technological advances in bronchoscopy imaging and ultrasound. The theme of this Congress is “respiratory health around the globe”, which facilitates a reflection on how we use our resources and equipment. The real-life experiences and challenges are just as interesting as the newest or future equipment.

Q. With this in mind, please tell us your top three session or abstract picks from the Congress programme and why?

Pleural disease: the global view

This session combines difficult clinical challenges of pleural disease with a practical approach. The session includes thoracic ultrasound

A new era of endobronchial ultrasound and imaging in staging and treatment of lung cancer from a global perspective

This session includes imaging, bronchoscopy including reflections on the updated 9^th edition of the TNM classifications.

Endobronchial ultrasound: mediastinal lymph nodes and tumours

This poster session really caught my eye. The focus is the use of well known equipment in new and exciting ways.