A great variety of congenital abnormalities of the chest wall occur. Their physiologic implications are also quite varied and span the spectrum from the rare entities of ectopia cordis and asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy, which are often lethal, to the much…
After the liver, the lung is the second most common site for metastatic involvement in neoplastic disease when all tissues and organs are considered, and 20% to 54% of patients with cancer will have pulmonary metastases at some point in…
Most primary lung cancers comprise the histologic variants described in other chapters of this text. On occasion, however, the thoracic surgeon must diagnose and treat an unusual primary lung cancer. These tumors frequently have a similar clinical presentation to more…
Historical Note Henry K. Pancoast, a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, described a patient afflicted with a carcinoma of uncertain histologic origin occupying the extreme apex of the chest, associated with shoulder and arm pain, atrophy of the hand…
Introduction and History Lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women. Over 75% of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is advanced in stage at presentation, with extensive locoregional disease or distant metastasis.…
Although long regarded as the best chance for cure, surgery alone has significant shortcomings in the management of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Even in the most favorable of circumstances (stage I), failure of therapy is anticipated in 20% to…
The surgical approach in the management of patients with lung cancer continues to evolve and improve. Conventional surgical approaches (including standard posterolateral thoracotomy, muscle-sparing thoracotomy, trans-sternal thoracotomy, and median sternotomy) remain viable options for some patients with resectable lung cancer.…
This chapter provides an overview of the surgical treatment for lung cancer. The indications for surgery, types and extent of lung resection, and mediastinal lymphadenectomy are reviewed, with an emphasis on recent published evidence and the new international tumor-node-metastasis (TNM)…
In 2010, the most recent year for which numbers are available, there were 201,144 new cases of lung cancer (107,164 men and 93,984 women) in the United States. With 158,248 deaths, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths…
Lung cancer is a global health burden and is among the most common and deadliest of all malignancies worldwide. In the United States, lung cancer accounts for more than 25% of all cancer deaths, exceeding deaths from breast, colon, and…