Author:

Abstract:

Lung cancer is still the most frequent cancer in males and its incidence rates in females are further increasing. In developed countries, lung cancer mortality rates seem to reach a plateau in contrast to developing countries, where further increases in lung cancer mortality rates are awaited. Although tobacco smoking is accepted as the major risk factor for developing lung cancer, the smoking incidence rates in teenagers and young adults in developed countries are again increasing. Earlier detection of lung cancer by the use of low-dose computer tomography could ideally lead to the detection of earlier stages of lung cancer, and therefore, result in a shift towards more curable disease stages. The detection of premalignant lesions in the bronchial mucosa is now also made possible by the use of new radiologic techniques and of fluorescent bronchoscopy. Detecting premalignant lesions or early invasive lung carcinoma, together with the advent of newer medications, based on the increasing knowledge of lung cancer biology, has led to a renewed interest in the use of chemoprevention for lung cancer patients.