Volume I, Issue IX, December 2014 IJRSI ISSN 2321 - 2705 www.ijltemas.in Page 128 Lung Cancer in Non-small cells: Its Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Treatment, and Survivorship P. Padmavathi 1 , D.Srinivasa Rao 2 , Uppala Radhakrishna 3 1 Department of Zoology, 2 Department of Biotechnology Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, A.P., India, 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beaumont Research Institute Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA Abstract:-Lung cancer arises from abnormal epithelial cells in the airways of the lungs. Epithelial cells cover all free surfaces in the body including the airways. It is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, owing to its metastatic spread at the time of diagnosis. Disease symptom management in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a critical aspect of therapy. The main objective of our study was to assess degree of risk factors, epidemiology, treatment and survivorship of the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). I. INTRODUCTION ung cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths in developed countries and is also rising at alarming rates in developing countries. This is the single most devastating cause of cancer-related deaths with approximately 1.5 million cases worldwide. Lung cancer is responsible for about one million deaths per year at present and it will rise to three millions per year by the year 2010. About 9 out of 10 cases of all lung cancers are the non-small cell type. Based on how the cells look under the microscope, NSCLC is usually one of 3 sub-types a) Squamous cell carcinoma b) Adenocarcinoma and c) Large cell (undifferentiated) carcinoma. A risk factor is anything that affects a person’s chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. Some risk factors like smoking can be changed (1). Others like age and family history can’t be changed. However, everyone does not get the disease even having one or more risk factors. But having a risk factor or even many risk factors, does not mean that you will get the disease. And some people who get the disease may have few or no known risk factors (3). Incidence and mortality from lung cancer in females is rising while it is declining in the males. Currently, lung cancer accounts for 20% of all cancer related deaths in females. Of all newly diagnosed cases of lung cancer approximately 80% are non- small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Young patients are very likely to be symptomatic having have adenocarcinoma and present with advanced disease. There is a changing trend of higher incidence of adenocarcinoma in young patients especially females who develop lung cancer at an earlier age. In addition to smoking, occupational exposure to carcinogens, indoor air pollution, dietary factors and a family history of cancer have recently been implicated in the causation of lung cancer. Even if a person with lung cancer has a risk factor, it is often very hard to know how much it may have contributed to the cancer. Several risk factors are likely to develop lung cancer such as smoking tobacco in the form of Smoking tobacco – including cigarettes, cigars and pipes Secondhand smoke (breathing in the smoke of others), Radon and Asbestos. Some people who get lung cancer do not have any clear risk factors (2). II. EPIDEMIOLOGY Lung cancer is a leading cause of mortality among men and women and accounts for 28% of all cancer deaths. Non- small cell lung cancer represents 80% of all lung cancers and has a grave prognosis (6). Disease prevalence rates are increasing rapidly during this century following the widespread adoption of cigarette smoking. Lung cancer mortality in females is increasing due to changing smoking habits (3). The global burden of cancer continues to increase largely because of the aging and growth of the world population alongside an increasing adoption of cancer-causing behaviors, particularly smoking in economically developing countries. About 70% of all cancer deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue to rise to over 13.1 million in 2030. Lung cancer has become one of the world’s leading causes of preventable deaths with high ratio in both males and females with incidence rates declining in both men and women from 2004-2008 (4). From 2004 to 2008, lung cancer incidence rates have decreased by 1.9% per year in men and by 0.3% per year in women (5). Gender differences in lung cancer mortality patterns reflect historical differences between men and women in the uptake and reduction of cigarette smoking over the past 50 years. India has a National Cancer Control Programme which was L