Staging and Management of Lung Cancer IntroductionCarcinoma of the lung remains the most common cause of death from solid tumors in North America: 170,000 new cases are projected in the United States during 1993. The anticipated best 5-year survival is 14% [1,2]. The present report focuses on non-small-lung cancer. Small-cell lung cancer is amenable to surgical treatment in a highly selected group of patients with limited local disease, and will not be reviewed in this report.As a general statement, it is fair to say that there has been relatively little improvement in the cure rate for primary cancer of the lung during the past 30 years. At the beginning of 1960, 5-year survival was estimated at somewhere between 5 and 10% overall. The projected 5-year survival for the new cases seen in 1993 in the United States is projected to be 14% [1]. In spite of this dismal outlook, surgery still offers the best potential for cure in appropriately selected cases. It is in the arena of selection that significant advances have occurred during the past 30 years:
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