ABSTRACT
Scope of Problem: Incidence and Mortality Lung cancer (LC ) is the m ost im portant unsolved problem in surgical oncology.
1 8 0 ,0 0 0 A m ericans will develop L C in the year 2 0 0 0 ; 1 6 0 ,0 0 0 will die. Treatm ent o f the disease has lim ited effectiveness; only 1 4% o f patients attain five-year sur vival. L C is the num ber one cause o f cancer m ortality in the U .S . in both m en and w om en. L C is also the m ain cause o f cancer m ortality in W estern Europe, and its incidence is rapidly increasing in T h ird W orld nations. Global annual m ortality will exceed three million during the next century. Th ere has been very little im prove m ent in survival during the past 2 0 years.
