Understanding the environment around lung cancer cells
Dr Febe van Maldegem, Associate Professor, Amsterdam UMC
Roxane Chen, PhD researcher in cancer biology, University of Cambridge
At the Lung Cancer Europe Annual Conference 2026 in Vienna, one of the sessions will explore an area of research that is becoming increasingly important in lung cancer treatment.
The session, “Lung cancer cells and the surroundings: why these interactions matter for treatment,” will look at how the environment around lung cancer cells can influence how treatments work.
Lung tumours are not made up of cancer cells alone. They exist within a complex environment made up of many different cell types interacting with each other. Understanding these relationships is helping researchers better understand why some treatments work well for some people, but not for others.
Dr Febe van Maldegem, Associate Professor at Amsterdam UMC, will discuss the different cell types found within lung tumours and why their location and interactions matter. As coordinator of the EU-funded SPACETIME research project, she will also explain how this work aims to improve understanding of tumour biology and support the development of more effective immunotherapy approaches.
She will be joined by Roxane Chen, a PhD researcher in cancer biology at the University of Cambridge, whose work focuses on resistance mechanisms and the long-term effects of targeted therapies in ALK-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.
Together, they will explore how the environment around lung cancer cells influences treatment responses, and why this research matters for the future of lung cancer care.
The Lung Cancer Europe Annual Conference 2026 will bring together Lung Cancer Europe member organisations and invited experts to discuss key issues in lung cancer research, care and advocacy.
📍 Vienna | 22–24 April 2026