The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)'s 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Yokohama, Japan, was the group's second annual meeting, having been biennial until 2015, demonstrating the fast pace of development in the area of lung cancer. Attendees with medical, scientific, government and industry backgrounds gathered to present and discuss thoracic malignancies throughout the world to advance their therapy. This report highlights presentations from the 3-day meeting.