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 due to 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 the aspects of disease presentation, potential of metastasis, clinical presentation, response to treatment and survival time. NSCLC constitutes nearly 80-85% of all lung cancers. NSCLCs are classified in different subtypes. The two predominant NSCLC histological subtypes are adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Adenocarcinomas have become the most commonly seen subtype of lung cancers (40%). The incidence of Squamous cell carcinoma has decreased in the last few decades and it is estimated to constitute 20-30% of all lung cancers today. Subtypes of NSCLC develop due to different factors, exhibit different clinical and radiological presentations, and consequently respond differently to surgical treatment and chemotherapeutic agents.