Aiming for evidence-based best practices in thoracic surgery—leadership in surgery

Lung cancer remains a compelling cancer problem worldwide—according to data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, over 2 million new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed worldwide in 2018. More sobering are the 1.7 million deaths anticipated this year as a result of lung cancer. Many initiatives are underway to try and address this compelling public health crisis, including tobacco control initiatives, screening programmes and the development of better treatments. The particular details are beyond the scope of these introductory remarks. Surgery remains a key treatment for early stage cancers