TY - JOUR JF - European Respiratory Review JO - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW SP - 259 LP - 260 VL - 19 IS - 117 AU - D.S. O’Callaghan Y1 - 2010/09/01 UR - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/19/117/259.abstract N2 - F.R. Hirsch, P. Harper Remedica Books243£30.00978-1905721566 D.J. Stewart Humana Press538£134.00978-1607615231Lung cancer remains the biggest cancer killer in the Western world and is estimated to account for some 1.3 million deaths every year. Despite refinements in surgical approaches and countless international clinical trials evaluating different combinations of cytotoxic agents, the prognosis for lung cancer patients today is little better than it was 30 years ago. As a result, the disease is often viewed from a perspective of therapeutic nihilism by the medical community at large. Indeed, one of my mentors (an expert in the field) often comments that the only realistic way to improve mortality from lung cancer is to implement a total worldwide ban on the growth of tobacco!However, the past decade has witnessed remarkable advances in molecular technologies that have led to a refinement in our understanding of the biological processes that lead to malignant transformation of normal lung tissue. In addition, advances in radiology and other early detection tools can increase the likelihood of identifying lung cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage. Finally, therapeutic innovations have heralded the advent of targeted treatments with the real possibility of “personalised medicine” for patients. Perhaps then, the future is no so bleak after all. It is timely, therefore, that two books have been published which offer slightly differing perspectives on the various aspects of lung cancer management.Lung cancer, edited by F.R. Hirsch and P. Harper, is the latest in the State of the Art series published by Remedica Books and is intended to offer a … ER -