Lung cancer is one of the biggest challenges in oncology today. The challenge is due to the recognition of the possibility of prevention in at least 70-80 % of all the cases and the extreme difficulties encountered in the treatment of this neoplasm. Despite the knowledge of prevention measures such as cessation of cigarette smoking the incidence continues to increase in many countries. The increase is particularly notable in females in the west ernized countries where the death rate in females in certain regions sur passes that of breast cancer. Furthermore, in many developing countries lung cancer is now being diagnosed with increasing frequency in both sexes and it is expected to be a major cause of death in those countries later in this century or the beginning of next century if the tobacco consumption will continue its rapid rise. With respect to therapy the 1970'es brought considerable progress in understanding of the clinical behaviour of lung cancer thereby establishing the importance of distinguishing between the major histologic types. Thera peutic advancement was particularly experienced in small cell carcinoma with the introduction of combination chemotherapy after this special dis ease entity among lung cancers was recognized as being a disseminated dis ease in almost all cases at the time of diagnosis. It was expected that the improvement in therapy would have continued in the early 1980'es, not only for small cell lung cancer but also for the other cell types.

The last volume dealing with lung cancer in this series in Cancer Treatment and Research was published in 1986 and entitled Lung Cancer: Basic and Clinical Aspects. The present book continues the outline of the previous volume by presenting up-to-date information on lung cancer in critical reviews of new important basic and clinical concepts of lung cancer. The present volume has broadened the scope by also including chapters dealing with issues such as epidemiology, prophylaxis, and histopathology of lung cancer. The content of the book thus reflects the increasing awareness of a global disease that is more and more in focus, not only scientifically but also politically. The latter fact results increasingly in changes in health legisla tion, with prevention measures influencing everyday life. The great interest in the disease is natural, considering that more than one patient dies from lung cancer every minute globally. The first chapter is from the Cancer Unit, WHO, Geneva, and describes in detail the epidemiologic features of lung cancer, which is the second most frequent cancer in the world with 660,500 new cases annually; it will soon surpass stomach cancer as the leader. Thirty-one percent of the cases occur in developing countries, where the increase is especially dramatic.

“... Useful background information is displayed in blue boxes, and good use is made of numerous tables and diagrams... a useful book for the undergraduate medical or allied health professional...” –Oncology News, May/June 2010 This forward looking cancer biology book appeals to a wide ranging audience. Introductory chapters that provide the molecular, cellular, and genetic information needed to comprehend the material of the subsequent chapters bring unprepared students up to speed for the rest of the book and serve as a useful refresher for those with previous biology background. The second set of chapters focuses on the main cancers in terms of risk factors, diagnostic and treatment methods and relevant current research. The final section encompasses the immune system’s role in the prevention and development of cancer and the impact that the Human Genome Project will have on future approaches to cancer care. While best suited to non-majors cancer biology courses, the depth provided satisfies courses that combine both majors and non-majors. Also, and deliberately, the authors have incorporated relevant information on diagnosis and treatment options that lend appeal to the lay reader.

1. Prevention and Early Detection of Lung Cancer - Clinical Aspects.- 2. Smoking Prevention and Cessation.- 3. Clinical Pharmacology of Vitamin A and Retinoids.- 4. Early Lung Cancer Detection.- 5. Molecular Abnormalities in the Sequential Development of Lung Carcinoma.- 6. Application of In Situ PCR and In Situ Hybridization to the Characterization of Lung Cancers.- 7. Tumor Stroma Formation in Lung Cancer.- 8. Tumor Angiogenesis: Basis for New Prognostic Factors and New Anticancer Therapies.- 9. Cell Cycle Regulators and Mechanisms of Growth Control Evasion in Lung Cancer.- 10. Molecular Genetics of Lung Cancer.- 11. Neuropeptides, Signal Transduction and Small Cell Lung Cancer.- 12. In Vitro Analysis of Bombesin/Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Receptor (bb2) Ligand Binding and G-Protein Coupling.- 13. DNA Methylation Changes in Lung Cancer.- 14. K-ras Mutations as Molecular Markers of Lung Cancer.- 15. Sheep Lung Adenomatosis: A Model of Virally Induced Lung Cancer.- 16. Retinoic Acid Receptor ß An Exploration of its Role in Lung Cancer Suppression and its Potential in Cancer Prevention.- 17. Cytochrome P450 Polymorphisms: Risk Factors for Lung Cancer?.- 18. Glutathione S-Transferases and Lung Cancer Risk.- 19. The p53 Tumor Suppressor Gene in Lung Cancer: From Molecular to Serological Diagnosis.- 20. Endoscopic Localization of Preneoplastic Lung Lesions.- 21. Antigen Retrieval Improves hnRNP A2/B1 Immunohisto-chemical Localization in Premalignant Lesions of the Lung.- 22. Molecular Pathological Mechanisms in NSCLC and the Assessment of Individuals with a High Risk of Developing Lung Cancer.- 23. Chemoprevention of Lung Cancer.- 24. Regional Delivery of Retinoids: A New Approach to Early Lung Cancer Intervention.- 25. Natural Inhibitors of Carcinogenesis.- 26. Gene Delivery to Airways.- 27. Lung Cancer Prevention: The Point of View of a Public Health Epidemiologist.- 28. Biomarkers as Intermediate Endpoints in Chemoprevention Trials: Biological Basis of Lung Cancer Prevention.- 29. Biological Tools for Mass Screening.- 30. Optimization of the Use of Biological Samples for the Prospective Evaluation of Preneoplastic Lesions.