Diagnosis and staging of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer among men and women in the United States. Lung cancer can present in a myriad of ways and the goal of prompt diagnosis and staging requires that the clinician be able to knowledgeably choose from a variety of tools available for such purpose. Review of some of these tools and general strategies with regard to staging is provided. Many new technologies are becoming available and much evaluation needs to be done before their proper roles become well defined. Little has changed with regard to staging of small cell lung cancer in recent years. The International System for Staging Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer was revised for a second time in 1997. Although the revisions have largely corrected the shortcomings of the 1985 version, some controversies persist. Whenever possible, a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis, staging, and therapy should be utilized. This should include incorporating the services of the pulmonologist, the thoracic surgeon, the medical oncologist, the radiologist, the radiation therapist, the pathologist, the respiratory therapist, and the social worker.