Lung cancer is one of the diseases that will never vanish from the radar of physicians, scientists, and society. However, there have been significant advances in our understanding and treatment of this disease over the past century, particularly for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this white paper, we review the primary diagnostic and treatment options used today, the current trends, and their implications on the design and conduct of NSCLC clinical trials.
In 1912, the American physician Dr. Isaac Adler reported a total of 374 cases of lung cancer described in the literature worldwide [1]. In 2021, an estimated 235,000 people in the United States alone were diagnosed with lung cancer [2]. Worldwide, there were an estimated 2.2 million newly diagnosed patients in 2020 [3].
There are two major histologic subtypes of lung cancer: non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, making up about 85% of all lung cancers. SCLC accounts for between 10% and 15% of lung cancers, while pulmonary carcinoid tumors are uncommon neuroendocrine epithelial malignancies accounting for less than 1% of all lung cancers. NSCLC and SCLC differ significantly in the pace of development, staging classification, treatment options, and survival perspectives. Our paper will talk about NSCLC as the most prevalent type of lung cancer.
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