The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer

What The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer does

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is a Denver-headquartered, Colorado-incorporated global nonprofit membership organization founded in 1974. It is the only global multidisciplinary body exclusively dedicated to lung cancer and thoracic malignancies, serving medical oncologists, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, pathologists, oncology nurses, basic scientists, patient research advocates, patients, and caregivers across more than 100 countries. Its core offerings include the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) — the premier global thoracic oncology conference with 7,000+ attendees, 130+ sessions, and 2,300+ abstracts — alongside regional conferences (KALC, LALCA, European Lung Cancer Congress, Asia Conference, Pan-Africa Conference), two peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Thoracic Oncology and gold open access JTO Clinical and Research Reports), the IASLC Atlas of Molecular Testing, the VIKTOR bioinformatics platform, Lung Cancer 360 and IASLC Academy e-learning, the STARS patient research advocate training program, and the Thoracic Circle online community.

The organization generates revenue through six primary streams: conference and event registration fees (transaction-based), recurring membership dues, journal subscriptions and open access publication fees, multi-tier corporate sponsorships and exhibits (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze), research grants and donations via the IASLC Foundation, and educational program subscriptions. WCLC registration pricing is tiered by membership status, attendee category, registration window, and geography, with developing-country rates and free patient/caregiver access. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, with operations heavily outsourced (e.g., International Conference Services as the WCLC secretariat) and distribution through direct registration, member portal, online learning platforms, and a global network of partner societies including the Japan Lung Cancer Society (7,500+ members), ASCO, AACR, and Global Lung Cancer Coalition. AI is currently limited to operational captioning/translation at events; there is no proprietary AI product, no public API, and no disclosed AI research pipeline.

Name

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer

Legal name

International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer

Website

https://iaslc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is a global nonprofit membership organization founded in 1974 and the only multidisciplinary body exclusively dedicated to lung cancer, serving oncologists, surgeons, researchers, advocates, and patients across 100+ countries through conferences, journals, education, and research grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Thoracic Oncology Professional Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Thoracic (Lung) Oncology (HLAKAFAL)

Keywords

• Thoracic oncology research
• Lung cancer conferences
• Oncology professional membership
• Peer-reviewed medical journals
• Cancer research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Conference and Event Revenue: Revenue from registration fees for major conferences including WCLC (World Conference on Lung Cancer), regional conferences (KALC, LALCA, European Lung Cancer Congress, Asia Conference, Pan-Africa Conference), and specialized meetings. Registration fees vary by membership status and timing.
2. Membership Dues: IASLC Full Membership and Associate Membership fees provide recurring revenue. The organization offers developing country rates and various membership categories.
3. Journal Publications: The Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) and JTO Clinical and Research Reports (JTO CRR) generate revenue through subscriptions and open access publication fees. JTO CRR is the official gold open access journal.
4. Corporate Sponsorships and Exhibits: Corporate partners sponsor conferences and exhibits at WCLC and other events. Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze level sponsorships provide significant revenue, with supporters including major pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Roche, and others.
5. Research Grants and Donations: IASLC operates a Research Grant Program and accepts donations through its foundation to fund lung cancer research initiatives.
6. Educational Programs and Webinars: Revenue from online learning platforms (Lung Cancer 360), webinars, and professional education programs for thoracic oncology specialists.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

IASLC operates as the only global multidisciplinary membership organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer and thoracic malignancies. It delivers value through the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), regional conferences, peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Thoracic Oncology and JTO Clinical and Research Reports), online education (Lung Cancer 360, IASLC Academy), the VIKTOR bioinformatics research platform, the IASLC Atlas of Molecular Testing, the STARS patient advocate training program, research grants, and global staging classification standards.

Product overview

The IASLC operates as a global multidisciplinary membership organization rather than a single-product company, offering a portfolio of scientific journals, international conferences, educational programs, research tools, and online platforms. The core offerings include the Journal of Thoracic Oncology and JTO Clinical and Research Reports (peer-reviewed journals); the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) as the flagship annual conference; Lung Cancer 360 and IASLC Academy for education; VIKTOR as a bioinformatics research tool; the STARS Program for patient advocate training; Thoracic Circle as an online community platform; and the Atlas of Molecular Testing as a clinical resource. These products and services serve medical professionals, researchers, patient advocates, and patients/caregivers in the thoracic oncology field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO)

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,000+ international attendees at WCLC 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• Korean Association for Lung Cancer (KALC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKALC is the host organization for WCLC 2026 in Seoul, Korea. The partnership brings together IASLC's global conference operations with KALC's local expertise and networks. KALC 2026 is held immediately prior to WCLC 2026, creating a combined academic platform for international experts.
• Japan Lung Cancer Society (JLCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJLCS is the largest academic group in lung cancer in Japan with over 7,500 multidisciplinary members. IASLC works closely with JLCS for international collaboration and knowledge exchange to enhance patient care globally.
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASCO represents over 50,000 oncology professionals globally. ASCO is an exhibitor at WCLC and shares the mission of advancing innovation and improving patient outcomes in cancer care.
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACR is the first and largest organization dedicated to preventing and curing cancer through research, education, communication, collaboration, and funding. AACR is an exhibitor at WCLC.
• International Conference Services Ltd. (ICS)flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerICS is the official conference secretariat and housing bureau for WCLC. Based in Vancouver, Canada, ICS provides secretariat support, registration management, accommodation coordination, and full conference planning services.
• Global Lung Cancer CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe GLCC is an exhibitor at WCLC and serves as the international voice of lung cancer patients, promoting global understanding of the burden of lung cancer and advocating for patient rights to effective treatment and care.
• United AirlinessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerIASLC has partnered with United Airlines to offer eligible delegates discounted airfares to Seoul (ICN) for WCLC 2026. Delegates can access these rates through United's meeting travel program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Korean Association for Lung Cancer (KALC): KALC is the host society for WCLC 2026 in Seoul and runs its own KALC meeting immediately prior. As a national lung cancer society with deep pharma ties, it is a direct peer that mirrors IASLC's membership and conference model at country scale.
• Japan Lung Cancer Society (JLCS): JLCS is IASLC's largest national partner society with 7,500+ multidisciplinary members. It runs its own annual lung cancer meeting in Japan and collaborates with IASLC on international knowledge exchange, making it the most directly comparable national peer.
• Global Lung Cancer Coalition (GLCC): GLCC is an IASLC partner and WCLC exhibitor serving as the international patient voice on lung cancer. It is a direct peer in lung cancer-specific advocacy and community building, complementing IASLC's STARS program from the patient side.
• American Thoracic Society (ATS): ATS is the leading U.S. thoracic medicine society covering pulmonology, critical care, and sleep medicine. It overlaps with IASLC's pulmonologist member base and runs the ATS International Conference, competing for thoracic clinical content and sponsors.
• Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group (CTONG): CTONG is a leading Chinese thoracic oncology research cooperative running clinical trials and academic meetings. It mirrors IASLC's research-grant and scientific project model at national scale and is a direct peer in thoracic oncology research collaboration.

Regional players

• British Thoracic Society (BTS): BTS is the U.K.'s national thoracic medicine society covering respiratory and thoracic oncology topics. It serves a comparable multidisciplinary audience but operates primarily within the U.K., overlapping with IASLC only at the clinical/educational interface.
• European Respiratory Society (ERS): ERS is the primary European respiratory society running the ERS International Congress. It overlaps with IASLC on pulmonology and lung cancer screening content but is regionally focused on Europe and respiratory medicine more broadly.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR): AACR is the largest cancer research society globally and an exhibitor at WCLC. It runs the AACR Annual Meeting and multiple journals covering thoracic oncology research, making it a direct adjacent competitor for research abstracts and sponsorships.
• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO): ASCO is the largest global oncology professional society (50,000+ members) and runs the ASCO Annual Meeting plus journals like JCO. It competes with IASLC for thoracic oncology content, abstracts, and corporate sponsorship dollars but covers all cancer types rather than specializing in lung cancer.
• European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO): ESMO is the leading European oncology society with the ESMO Congress and flagship Annals of Oncology journal. It overlaps directly with IASLC on thoracic oncology programming, journal readership, and pharma sponsorship, and has a strong global footprint similar to WCLC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iaslc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IASLC
• Facebookfacebook.com/145521742161580
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iaslc
• Instagraminstagram.com/iaslungcancer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer