The Epidemiology of Lung Cancer- How Much Have We Discovered?

Lung Cancer has become a global health burden in the past years due to being the second largest contributor to new cases and the high mortality rates worldwide which is around 1.8 million patients. There are two main histological groups of Lung Cancer, however non-small cell lung cancer is more prevalent and is composed of three histologic subtypes of which adenocarcinoma represents the highest prevalence. It is calculated that the incidence in male is higher than female. Cigarette smoking is the main risk factor for developing lung cancer, however, other risk factors contribute to the increasing cases. Studying the epidemiology of lung cancer is essential to establish robust surveillance system and establish policies to reduce this global concern. In this article we will review the epidemiological data, the history of the disease, and the associated risk factors.