ROLES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, PATHOLOGY, MOLECULAR-BIOLOGY, AND BIOMARKERS IN THE INVESTIGATION OF OCCUPATIONAL LUNG-CANCER

The pathology and molecular biology of lung cancer demonstrate that th ese tumors evolve through a series of mutations, molecular changes, an d corresponding morphologic changes. To elucidate how occupational and environmental factors influence lung cancer histogenesis it is import ant not only to understand epidemiology and the interactions between e tiologic agents but also to integrate information from pathology, bioc hemistry and molecular biology. This review focuses on the range of te chniques currently available for characterizing lung cancer and how th eir prudent use can be beneficial in the identification of occupationa l carcinogens. Because many occupational and environmental lung cancer s are caused by multiple etiologic agents, the integration of histolog y with cellular, biochemical and molecular biomarker techniques may pr ovide new approaches for understanding the disease process.