Behera D, Balamugesh T
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci. 2004 Oct-Dec;46(4):269-81.
Lung cancer is one of the commonest malignant neoplasms all over the world. It accounts for more cancer deaths than any other cancer. It is increasingly being recognized in India.
We did a systematic review of the published studies on epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in India. Literature from other countries was also reviewed.
With increasing prevalence of smoking, lung cancer has reached epidemic proportions in India. It has surpassed the earlier commonest form of cancer, that of oropharynx, and now is the commonest malignancy in males in many hospitals. In addition to smoking, occupational exposure to carcinogens, indoor air pollution and dietary factors have recently been implicated in the causation of lung cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma is still the commonest histological type in India in contrast to the Western countries, although adenocarcinoma is becoming more common. Molecular genetics of lung cancer has opened up new vistas of research in carcinogenesis. Various modalities for early detection through screening are being investigated. Majority of the patients have locally advanced or disseminated disease at presentation and are not candidates for surgery. Chemotherapy applied as an adjunct with radiation improves survival and the quality of life. New anticancer drugs, which have emerged during the last decade, have shown an improved efficacy-toxicity ratio.
In view of our large population, the burden of lung cancer will be quite enormous in India. Drastic measures aimed at discouraging people from smoking must be taken to reduce the morbidity and mortality due to lung cancer.
肺癌是全球最常见的恶性肿瘤之一。它导致的癌症死亡人数比其他任何癌症都多。在印度，肺癌的发病率也日益上升。
我们对印度已发表的有关肺癌流行病学、诊断和治疗的研究进行了系统综述。同时也对其他国家的文献进行了回顾。
随着吸烟率的上升，肺癌在印度已达到流行程度。它已经超过了此前最常见的癌症类型——口咽癌，现在在许多医院中已成为男性最常见的恶性肿瘤。除吸烟外，职业性接触致癌物、室内空气污染和饮食因素最近也被认为与肺癌的发生有关。与西方国家不同，鳞状细胞癌仍是印度最常见的组织学类型，不过腺癌也越来越常见。肺癌的分子遗传学为癌症发生机制的研究开辟了新的前景。目前正在研究通过筛查进行早期检测的各种方法。大多数患者在就诊时已处于局部晚期或已发生转移，不适合手术治疗。化疗与放疗联合应用可提高生存率和生活质量。过去十年中出现的新型抗癌药物显示出更好的疗效-毒性比。
鉴于我国人口众多，印度肺癌的负担将相当巨大。必须采取严厉措施劝阻人们吸烟，以降低肺癌的发病率和死亡率。
