 I am Dr. Sheetal Chaurasia. I am a consultant pulmonologist in Manipal Hospital Whitefield. Lung cancer is uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both the lungs. This abnormal growth can form tumor in the lung and interfere with the normal functioning of the respiratory system. There are mainly two types of lung cancer. Non-small cell lung carcinoma accounts for the 80% of the lung cancer we see. It is further subdivided into many groups like adenocarcinomas, former cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma etc. Cigarette smoking accounts for almost 80% of the lung cancer which we see. There are other risk factors for developing lung cancer like air pollution including diesel exhaust fumes, indoor air pollution in the form of coal gas, smoke, redon, occupational exposure to dust fumes, metal dust like chromium and beryllium, asbestos, arsenic. Lung cancer can also be caused by chronic fibrosis lung disease like IPF and there is a genetic component as well. Certain people are genetically predisposed to develop lung cancer. The symptoms of lung cancer unfortunately is nonspecific. Most commonly it presents with chronic cough, coughing up of blood or flex of blood in sputum, chest pain, breathlessness, pain in the shoulder, back or chest. Symptom of lung cancer can also be due to spread of cancer to other organs like swelling in the neck, swelling in the armpits, hoarseness of voice. Since the symptoms of lung cancers are nonspecific, it is advisable to visit the doctor if there is persistent symptom not responding to the treatment especially in the high risk groups. Suspected people with lung cancer are first imaged with chest x-ray and chest CT to confirm the presence of a lung tumor. Once an abnormal lesion is identified on the x-ray and CT, the presence of cancer is confirmed by examining a tissue from the abnormal area, examining it under microscope. This is called biopsy. There are different ways to obtain biopsy for a lung cancer. Lung cancer can be biopsied through an endoscopic camera that goes inside the lung. This procedure is called bronchoscopy. It can be done under local anesthesia and certain areas which are not visible via bronchoscope like the peripheries of the lung and the mediastinum It can be biopsied using a special bronchoscope called as ebus bronchoscope. Ebus bronchoscope is fitted with a small ultrasound probe to reach the tumor that are not visible through a standard bronchoscope. Biopsy can also be obtained through the chest wall under CT guidance. This is called as trans thoracic needle aspiration. Rarely a surgery may be needed to obtain the biopsy. Once the lung cancer has been confirmed by biopsy, further staging is required to assess the extent of spread and also to plan the treatment. Staging of lung cancer is done by further imaging with PET CT scan, abdominal scans, bone scan and brain imaging. It may also require further biopsy in the form of thoracoscopic biopsy of pleura or a biopsy of suspected lymph nodes. Treatment of lung cancer depends on the type of tumor, stage of the tumor and the general health status of the patient. There are various modalities of treatment available. The treatment can be curative or it can be palliative. That is to prolong the patient's life and improve the quality of life. Various modalities of lung cancer treatment are surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted treatment, immunotherapy and palliation. Prognosis of lung cancer depends on the type of tumor and the stage of tumor. Unfortunately most of the lung cancer are diagnosed quite late in the disease and by the time they are diagnosed it has already spread. Hence it is advisable to report to the doctor if there is any suspicious symptoms which is not responding to the usual treatment. However it has to be remembered that each individual is different and the response to treatment varies from person to person.