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1Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. jmlukanich@bics.bwh.harvard.edu
Objectives:
An interactive program for physicians and surgeons was used to focus their attention on current issues of lung cancer in the United States. The issues examined were the risks for the development of lung cancer in smokers, spouses of smokers, recipients of second-hand or sidestream smoke, and the appropriate workup and treatment of patients with lung cancer.
Design:
Case presentation with interactive questions and answers.
Patients:
Six patients are presented whose cases demonstrate issues that are relevant and timely to the practice of thoracic surgery and oncology Interventions: Treatment for the five case presentations is used for interactive teaching purposes.
Conclusions:
Lung cancer is epidemic in the United States, particularly among women at the present time. Physician awareness of the environmental and other factors contributing to the disease should stay current with the population variables that we are seeing in clinical practice.