Epidemiology, screening, and prevention of lung cancer

With an estimated 170,000 new cases and 149,000 deaths in the United States during 1993, lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. Tobacco smoking is an important risk factor, and a large fraction of the risk can be attributed to it. Other risk factors have been implicated, including environmental tobacco smoke, occupational exposures to carcinogens, and genetic susceptibility. Prevention of lung cancer through early detection and identification of individuals at risk is the goal of many recent studies. This review summarizes the current status of epidemiologic and biomarker research in understanding both the etiology and prognostic utility of environmental and host factors.