pulmonary disorders
Lung Carcinoma
Introduction
Lung carcinoma is the leading cause of cancer-related death in men and women worldwide. About 85% of cases are related to cigarette smoking. Symptoms can include cough, chest discomfort or pain, weight loss, and, less commonly, hemoptysis; however, many patients present with metastatic disease with or without any clinical symptoms. The diagnosis is typically made by chest x-ray or CT and confirmed by biopsy. Depending on the stage of the disease, treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination. For the past several decades, the prognosis for a lung cancer patient was poor, with only 15% of patients surviving>5 years from the time of diagnosis. For patients with stage IV (metastatic) disease, the 5-year overall survival rate was<1%. However, outcomes have improved because of the identification of certain mutations that can be targeted for therapy, and current 5-year survival rates are 19% (23% for women and 16% for men). In 2023, an estimated 238,340 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the United States (120,790 in women and 117,550 in men), and 127,070 people will die from the disease ( General reference ). 