title: Early diagnosis of lung cancer: the great challenge. Epidemiological variables, clinical variables, staging and treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate confirmed cases of lung cancer, reviewing epidemiological variables, clinical variables, staging and treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cases of 263 patients were studied. All of the patients had been treated at the Universidade Federal do Paraná (Federal University of Paraná) Hospital de Clínicas or at the Hospital Erasto Gaertner, two institutions that, together, serve a significant portion of the patients seeking treatment in the city of Curitiba, located in the state of Paraná. This was a retrospective study, involving the administration of questionnaires. The descriptive analysis of the data obtained was performed using the Epi-Info program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a predominance of male patients (76%). At the time of diagnosis, the majority of patients (90%) were smokers or former smokers. In 87% of the cases, there was no history of lung disease. The most common initial symptoms were cough (142 cases) and chest pain (92 cases). Non-small cell lung cancer was found in 87% of the patients, and the most common histological type was spinocellular carcinoma, which was found in 49% of all of the patients. Smoking was found to be the most significant predisposing factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The characteristics of lung cancer progression, such as the nonspecificity of the initial symptoms, the duration of tumor growth and the course of the tumor, together with the lack of tracking programs, are the principal factors that hinder the early detection of lung cancer, making it difficult to treat lung cancer patients and to increase their survival.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Function Laboratory, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Adriano
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: Geraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valladares
authors.forename: Adriane Reichert
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Erika Megumi
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Fugita
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: André Gustavo Daher
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Vianna
authors.forename: Guilherme Luís
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Trevisan
authors.forename: Fabrício Augusto Martinelli
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires