Lung cancer

Lung cancer remains a major worldwide health problem, accounting for more t han a sixth of cancer deaths. The proportion of cancers that are adenocarci nomas is increasing in North America and to some degree in Europe, leading to a changing clinical picture characterised by early development of metast ases. Newer diagnostic techniques have allowed for snore accurate tumour st aging and treatment planning. In patients with non-small-cell cancer, surgi cal resection offers substantial cure rates in early-stage cases. Combined chemotherapy plus radiation therapy has clearly improved the treatment resu lts for patients with locally advanced cancers, and patients with metastati c disease are now candidates for newer chemotherapy regimens with more favo urable results than in the past. Small-cell lung cancer is highly responsiv e to chemotherapy, and recent advances In radiation therapy have improved t he prospects for long survival. New techniques for screening, and innovativ e approaches to both local and systemic treatment offer hope for substantia l progress against this disease in the near future.