Summary of Key Points In the context of disease confined to the chest, mediastinal staging is crucial for determining the best curative treatment strategy, especially for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Urgent referral for chest imaging is recommended for patients…
Summary of Key Points 18 F-2-deoxy- d -glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET–CT) is routinely used clinically for diagnosis, staging, and radiation treatment planning and may have a role in prognosis and monitoring of treatment response. FDG-PET–CT is not optimal…
Summary of Key Points Low-dose multidetector computed tomography (CT) screening of active and former heavy smokers has been shown to decrease lung cancer mortality. The malignant potential of solid pulmonary nodules depends on their size, with larger nodules more likely…
Summary of Key Points Most people with lung cancer are symptomatic at the time of initial presentation; however, between 5% and 15% of people may be asymptomatic. Alarming symptoms for lung cancer like cough, hemoptysis, dyspnea, chest pain and weight…
Summary of Key Points Techniques for the optimal triage and preparation of small specimens for diagnosis and ancillary studies are provided. For optimal results, a standardized protocol and algorithm should be implemented in the laboratory. Various factors determine the decision…
Summary of Key Points Of key importance is whether a prognostic marker is also a predictive marker for therapeutic benefit. As predictive biomarkers become integral in the use of targeted therapies to treat lung cancer, multidisciplinary and evidence-based guidelines for…
Summary of Key Points A clinically relevant pathologic classification of lung cancer is essential for accurate diagnosis and for patients to receive appropriate therapy. Although classification of the majority of lung cancers is straightforward, areas of controversy and diagnostic challenges…
Summary of Key Points Humoral and cellular immune dysregulation in the tumor microenvironment contributes to immune evasion, a key hallmark of lung cancer. Immunosuppressive mechanisms observed in lung cancer include defective antigen presentation, secretion of immunosuppressive tumor-derived soluble factors, and…
Summary of Key Points The biologic roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in lung cancer indicate their correlation with disease status, prognosis, and therapeutic outcome. The discovery of miRNAs has opened a new avenue for individualized disease diagnosis and treatment. Dysfunctions of…
Summary of Key Points There is untapped potential for targeted lung cancer prevention and therapy that requires, as a first step, a more clear delineation of the biology underlying the lung carcinogenesis process. The pulmonary microenvironment represents a unique milieu…