Does Cell Type in Lung Cancer Have any Clinical Importance?

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of deaths from cancer in men (20%), and it has reached 16.5% and started to surpass deaths dueto breast cancer in women. Lung tumors include many subtypes according to the classification of the World Health Organization.These tumors are primarily classified as small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) from theaspects of disease presentation, potential of metastasis, clinical presentation, response to treatment and survival time. NSCLCconstitutes nearly 80-85% of all lung cancers. NSCLCs are classified in different subtypes. The two predominant NSCLC histologicalsubtypes are adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Adenocarcinomas have become the most commonly seen subtypeof lung cancers (40%). The incidence of Squamous cell carcinoma has decreased in the last few decades and it is estimated toconstitute 20-30% of all lung cancers today. Subtypes of NSCLC develop due to different factors, exhibit different clinical and radiologicalpresentations, and consequently respond differently to surgical treatment and chemotherapeutic agents.