The 12th Annual Conference on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease of the Chinese Thoracic Society (CTS), organized by the Chinese Medical Association and the Chinese Thoracic Society and co-organized by the Respiratory Medicine Branch of the Jiangsu Medical Association, was held in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, from June 26 to 28, 2026. The Conference focused on key topics including early screening and diagnosis, standardized diagnosis and treatment, precision therapy, comorbidity management, prevention and management of acute exacerbations, pulmonary rehabilitation, primary-level prevention and control, and cutting-edge basic research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The program comprised two plenary venues and ten parallel venues, with 15 plenary lectures, 63 scientific presentations, and nine sponsored symposia. A total of 70 expert chairing assignments and 72 expert speaking assignments were scheduled, and more than 1,000 participants registered. Experts in pulmonary and critical care medicine (PCCM), clinicians, primary care professionals, early-career researchers, and nursing professionals from across China gathered in Nanjing to discuss and exchange experience on advancing high-quality COPD prevention and care in China.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Ting Yang, Deputy Head of the COPD Assembly of the Chinese Thoracic Society. Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Yongchang Sun, Congress Chair and Chair of the COPD Assembly of the Chinese Thoracic Society; Professor Rongchang Chen, Congress Co-chair, President of the Chinese Association of Chest Physicians and Chair of its COPD Assembly; Professor Xin Yao, President-elect of the Respiratory Medicine Branch of the Jiangsu Medical Association; Professor Qiang Ding, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of Nanjing Medical University and Secretary of the CPC Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University; and Academician Chen Wang of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. Professor Bin Cao, President of the Chinese Thoracic Society, and Professor Jieming Qu, Immediate Past President of the Society, were invited to deliver plenary lectures.
During the plenary sessions, Academician Chen Wang presented the lecture “Chronic Bronchitis and COPD: Research, Concepts, Diagnosis, and Intervention,” systematically reviewing nearly a century of evolution in the concepts of chronic bronchitis and COPD and outlining priorities for future research. Professors Rongchang Chen, Jieming Qu, Bin Cao, and Yongchang Sun delivered lectures on the development of clinical quality-control systems for COPD, artificial intelligence–enabled precision diagnosis and treatment, antiviral prophylaxis and treatment in patients with COPD, and advances in COPD with cardiovascular comorbidities, respectively.
The parallel sessions featured a wide range of scientific highlights. The session on type 2 inflammation and management of airway mucus hypersecretion focused on treatable traits related to type 2 inflammation, eosinophilic phenotypes, and therapeutic strategies involving biologics. The session on advances in disease mechanisms presented original findings on airway epithelial injury, cellular senescence, inflammasome activation, and epigenetic modifications. The session on the microbiome and the gut–lung axis examined the role of microbial dysbiosis in COPD development and acute exacerbations. The session on specific COPD phenotypes and triggers addressed the identification and management of infection-associated, tuberculosis-associated, and environmental exposure–associated COPD. The session on early screening and imaging technologies covered early identification of small-airway disease, artificial intelligence–based quantitative computed tomography, and an expert interpretation of the Expert Consensus on the Clinical Diagnosis and Management of Small-Airway Disease and Chronic Airway Diseases (2026). The comorbidity-management session systematically reviewed strategies for identifying and managing cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, cognitive impairment, and other comorbidities. The session on interventional techniques and end-stage disease focused on advances in stem-cell therapy, bronchoscopic lung-volume reduction, and lung transplantation. The session on basic and clinical assessment of acute exacerbations addressed risk identification, biomarkers, and prognostic stratification.
Pre-conference activities were designed for primary care and included a series of training sessions aimed at improving standardized COPD diagnosis, treatment, and longitudinal management. The primary-care session discussed screening, follow-up, and health-management pathways suitable for implementation at county and community levels. The nursing session covered digital health–enabled management, airway humidification care, and standardized use of inhalation devices. The pulmonary function session provided systematic instruction on early identification, functional phenotyping, and application of impulse oscillometry, together with hands-on demonstrations of lung-volume and diffusing-capacity measurements. The pulmonary-rehabilitation session addressed an integrated hospital–community–home model, remote rehabilitation monitoring, and rehabilitation approaches combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine.
The conference placed particular emphasis on academic exchange among early-career investigators. On the afternoon of June 26, the Young Investigators’ Research Salon brought together a group of outstanding early-career scholars for in-depth discussion on conducting high-quality scientific research, generating lively academic exchange. At the poster session on the afternoon of June 27, 24 abstracts were selected for presentation and discussion. The Head, Deputy Heads, and Secretary of the COPD Assembly served as on-site moderators, providing early-career investigators with a valuable opportunity for face-to-face presentation and exchange. The discussions were active and highly engaging.
Contributed by the COPD Assembly of the Chinese Thoracic Society
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