Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer among men and women in the United
States. Lung cancer can present in a myriad of ways and the goal of prompt
diagnosis and staging requires that the clinician be able to knowledgeably
choose from a variety of tools available for such purpose. Review of some o
f these tools and general strategies with regard to staging is provided. Ma
ny new technologies are becoming available and much evaluation needs to be
done before their proper roles become well defined. Little has changed with
regard to staging of small cell lung cancer in recent years. The Internati
onal System for Staging Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer was revised for a second
time in 1997. Although the revisions have largely corrected the shortcomin
gs of the 1985 version, some controversies persist. Whenever possible, a mu
ltidisciplinary approach to diagnosis, staging, and therapy should be utili
zed. This should include incorporating the services of the pulmonologist, t
he thoracic surgeon the medical oncologist, the radiologist, the radiation
therapist, the pathologist, the respiratory therapist, and the social worke
r.