In bronchial carcinoma (BCA) – colloquially called lung cancer – (synonyms: Bronchial carcinoma; Bronchial carcinoma; Bronchogenic carcinoma; Lung carcinoma; ICD-10-GM C34.-: Malignant neoplasm of the bronchi and lungs) is a malignant tumor disease of the lung.
It is the most common malignant (malignant) disease worldwide.
Bronchial carcinoma accounts for approximately 14-25% of all malignant (malignant) tumors in men and 7-12% in women. It is the third most common malignant (malignant) tumor in women and the second most common in men. In addition, the lung is the second most frequent localization of distant metastases (metastasis/daughter tumor not located near the primary tumor and regional lymph node system) of extrathoracic (located outside the chest) tumors, in 20% of cases the only localization of the same.
Classification of bronchial carcinomas according to the WHO (World Health Organization):
- Adenocarcinomeder lung (engl. Lung Adenocarcinoma, LUAD): 25-40 %.
- Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung: 25-40%.
- Small cell lung cancer (SCLC; engl.: Small Cell Lung Cancer): 13-15 %.
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): 10-15 %.
- Adenosquamous carcinomas
- Carcinoid tumor
- Bronchial gland carcinoma
- Other types of carcinoma
Smokers are ten to 20 times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers. About 85% of patients with bronchial carcinoma are smokers.
By far the most common form, occurring in nonsmokers, women, and young patients (<45 years), is adenocarcinoma.
Sex ratio: males to females is 3: 1. Bronchial carcinoma is the most common cancer in males. For adenocarcinoma, the sex ratio of males to females is 1: 6.
Peak incidence: the median age of onset is between 68 and 70 years. The peak incidence of bronchial carcinoma in men is between the ages of 55 and 60 years.
The incidence (frequency of new cases) is about 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year (in Europe). Annually, there are about 50,000 new cases in Germany.
Course and prognosis: Nearly 75% of all patients are diagnosed at an advanced tumor stage, so that usually only palliative treatment is possible, i.e., treatment that is not aimed at curing a disease but at alleviating symptoms or reducing other adverse consequences.Small-cell bronchial carcinomas have a poor prognosis because they grow rapidly and form metastases (daughter tumors) quickly hematogenously (“in the bloodstream”). The prognosis is better for non-small cell bronchial carcinomas because they grow relatively slowly, are predominantly confined to areas of the lung, and metastasize more slowly. Consequently, life expectancy depends primarily on the type of tumor as well as the stage at the time of diagnosis.
26% of all cancer-related deaths in men are due to bronchial carcinoma, compared with 10% in women. The mortality rate (death rate) increases with age. It peaks between 70 and 84 years of age in men and between 75 and 85 years of age in women.
Overall, the 5-year survival rate of bronchial carcinoma has approximately doubled within the last 30 years, due to medical advances on the one hand and a reduction in smoking on the other. It is 11% for non-small cell lung cancer. The 5-year survival rate for small cell lung cancer is 5% (cumulative). The 5-year survival rate for adenocarcinoma is 17% (all stages).
