Lung Cancer - Part I

In the United States, lung cancer is the second most common cancer, surpassed only by prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. But lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, accounting for 29% and 26% of all cancer-related deaths in men and women, respectively. The four major pathologic cell types of lung cancer are small cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. Because they have overlapping clinical behaviors and responses to treatment, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma are generally grouped together in the category of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This review discusses both NSCLC and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), including lung cancer in those who have never smoked, prevention of lung cancer, with sections on diagnosis, biomarkers, treatment, and supportive care.  This review contains 7 figures, 10 tables, and 81 references. Keywords: lung cancer, mediastinoscopy, chemoradiotherapy, TNM staging system, pulmonary parenchyma, segmentectomy