Lung carcinoma

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. and worldwide. The 2 major forms of lung cancer are nonsmall cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer (see 182280), which account for 85% and 15% of all lung cancers, respectively. Nonsmall cell lung cancer can be divided into 3 major histologic subtypes: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell lung cancer. Cigarette smoking causes all types of lung cancer, but it is most strongly linked with small cell lung cancer and squamous cell carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type in patients who have never smoked. Nonsmall cell lung cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and has a poor prognosis (summary by Herbst et al., 2008). [from OMIM]