Bronchogenic carcinoma

Abstract

Carcinoma of the bronchus is a major problem within the National Health Service accounting for 10% of all cancers, that is, almost 30,000 deaths per yr. These figures are still increasing slowly and may be expected to continue with the increased proportion of older people in the population, as the incidence of lung cancer continues to increase with each decade after 40 yr of age. In contrast to the situation regarding cancers in some other sites, the incidence of bronchial carcinoma is very closely related to its mortality. Most patients die within one yr of the initial diagnosis.