[Development and course of bronchial carcinoma].

The chances of treating bronchial carcinoma successfully must be regarded with scepticism. The tumor develops mainly in elderly people who often succumb to concurrent diseases before the tumor can take its natural course. Because growth rates vary independently of the various tumor types, prognosis is hardly to assess in a given case. Early detection merely prolongs the period of clinical observation and does not improve the chance of healing. Long survivors often develop a second carcinoma. The functional state of lymph nodes reflects the tumor stage rather than prognosis. At the moment prevention is the only promising measure for control of lung cancer.