ABSTRACT
Lung cancer is one of the commonest malignancies in males and in females, and although it is the fourth most common cause of cancer, it has the second highest death rate from a cancer. It accounts for 20% of all cancers in men, with a lifetime risk of 1 in 13, and 12% of all cancers in women, with a lifetime risk of 1 in 23. Worldwide lung cancer incidence is estimated at 1.6 million, with about 1,095,200 cases in males and 513,600 in females. In 2008, there were 724,300 new diagnoses in the developed world and 884,500 new patients diagnosed with lung cancer in the developing world. The global burden of lung cancer has increased dramatically and reflects the smoking epidemic in the developing world.
