Despite the large sums of money spent on research, the prognosis for lung cancer patients remains gloomy. There are no new operations of magic drugs.

Out of all patients diagnosed with lung cancer, only half are operable. Reasons for inoperability include the presence of metastases, extension of tumour into the mediastinum and patients being unfit for surgery.

Of all patients who successfully undergo a curative lung resection, only half are cured. The remainder develop recurrent cancer.

Screening for lung cancer is no longer recommended as studies have failed to demonstrate any benefit.

Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy does have a benefit, but only in selected groups of patients.

Programs to quit smoking have only been partly successful. The tobacco industry derives huge profits from the sale of tobacco and the medical industry profits from treating lung cancer patients. Both these industries suffer from a conflict of interest between protecting their own livelihood and a gesture to encourage quitting smoking. By comparison to the profits of these two industries combined, the amount spent on quit smoking programs is small.

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