James G. Ravenel
Editor

2013

Lung cancer is the paradigm disease of the fi rst 2 decades of the twenty-fi rst century. It was once seen as a single, monolithic, self-infl icted entity, nearly always caused by smoking, and usually viewed by patients (and often their families and their physicians) as a death knell at the time of diagnosis. Today we know much more about lung cancer and almost always have more options to provide to patients with the disease. Tobacco exposure is still recognized as the leading cause worldwide.