Publisher's Synopsis
Lung cancer, the most common and deadliest malignancy worldwide, is one of the biggest challenges for modern oncology. Although lung cancer presents the same incidence as breast or colorectal cancer, it causes as much deaths as breast and colorectal cancers together. Lung cancer demands our abilities as researchers, physicians, and care-givers in a multidisciplinary approach. Genetic, biology, pharmacy, pneumology, internal medicine, radiology, pathology, thoracic surgery, radiation, medical oncology and palliative care departments are essential members of the thoracic tumor boards. Fighting Lung Cancer through Conventional Therapies is the second volume of a saga entirely devoted to the treatment of lung cancer. In the age of targeted oncology, more than 90% of lung cancer patients are managed with conventional surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy only. Furthermore, 100% of them will need conventional treatments during the course of the disease. This volume updates indications, techniques, and applications of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of lung cancer by an international team of experts. Included within these pages are: epidemiology and pathology; baseline and mediastinal staging; minimally invasive surgery, video-assisted thoracic surgery, and standard surgery in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer; radiation therapy for early non-small cell lung cancer; the management of locally advanced non-small cell cancer; applications of surgery to metastatic lung cancer; the new role of radiotherapy in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer; conventional chemotherapy as well as experimental treatments and combos with targeted therapies; the treatment of early and advanced small cell lung cancer; the role of palliative supportive care; and the integration of all those disciplines in multidisciplinary tumor boards are exhaustively reviewed.
