Improving lung cancer outcomes through smoking cessation: the Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe (WALCE) experience

Being lung cancer the main cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, mainly dependent on tobacco consumption, fighting the tobacco epidemic and concretely acting in terms of prevention represents a current urgent need. Indeed, it has become clear that the significant reduction in tobacco consumption would result in the prevention of a large fraction of lung cancer cases and other smoking-related diseases. Women Against Lung Cancer in Europe (WALCE) is a non-profit European organisation with more than 10 years of experience, whose mission is promoting communication strategies and awareness initiatives, customized on recipients age, to aware public opinion and decision makers on damages of smoking on health and spreading accurate and updated information in order to support people affected by lung cancer and their caregivers. In this review we will provide a summary of WALCE commitment and experience in the field of smoking cessation and lung cancer prevention.