Introduction

Epidemiology

Screening

Incidental versus screen-detected pulmonary nodule management

Clinical manifestations

Diagnosis and staging

Brief update on the eighth edition tumor-node-metastasis classification of lung cancer

Treatment

Prognosis

Summary

References

INTRODUCTION

Lung cancer is the world’s leading cause of cancer death. This is largely because it is initially asymptomatic and typically discovered at advanced stages. Screening for lung cancer by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) has recently been shown to have a mortality benefit, and implementation of this practice is growing. Once suspected, lung cancer must be diagnosed and staged, and there are recent guidelines to aid in this process. Treatment is determined by subtype and stage of cancer and there are several personalized therapies that did not exist just a few years ago. This review provides a broad outline of this disease, helping clinicians identify such patients and familiarizing them with lung cancer care so they are better equipped to guide their patients along this challenging journey.

SUMMARY

Lung cancer remains a highly lethal disease. The implementation of widespread lung cancer screening holds promise for the future. Given the nonspecific clinical presentation, clinicians should consider the diagnosis in any former or current smoker who presents with worrisome symptoms. If lung cancer is suspected, referral to a pulmonologist is strongly recommended. There are various minimally invasive diagnostic and staging modalities currently available and there has been tremendous advancement in our understanding of lung cancer biology leading to various new treatment options.