Lung cancer (including management of an isolated lung lesion)
Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer in the UK. It is termed ‘primary’ if it originates in the lungs. and ‘secondary’ if it manifests elsewhere in the body but then spreads to the lungs. The main types of primary lung cancer are small cell lung carcinoma and non-small cell lung carcinoma. Bronchial carcinoids account for up to 5% of lung cancer. These are generally small when diagnosed and occur most commonly in people under 40 years of age. Unrelated to cigarette smoking, carcinoid tumours can metastasize and a small proportion of these tumours secrete hormone-like substances that may cause specific symptoms related to the hormone being produced. Carcinoids generally grow and spread more slowly than bronchogenic cancers, and many are detected early enough to be amenable to surgical resection. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that affects the pleura.