Facts and fiction: premalignant lesions of lung tissues

摘要: Lung cancer is now the leading cause of death from in Australia. Most patients are diagnosed with late-stage disease. Although diagnosis at pre-invasive stages could theoretically improve outcomes, mooted precursor lesions often asymptomatic and undetectable by non-invasive investigations. Nonetheless, they merit study to identify early essential molecular steps involved lung carcinoma pathogenesis, aim developing therapies targeted against one or more such steps. Some cancers appear develop via a series progressive morphological changes correlating alterations, but others seem arise histologically normal epithelium, these differences may reflect anatomically functionally distinct epithelial compartments respiratory tract. Pre-invasive recognised World Health Organization (WHO) include squamous metaplasia dysplasia situ, atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia. Other that likely represent lesions, which not currently WHO-listed, human papillomavirus (HPV)-related papillomatosis mesothelioma situ. No single stem marker has been identified. Field cancerisation plays an important role development, includes spread clones along epithelium occurrence multiple separate foci abnormalities as situ.In addition well-characterised step-wise progression carcinomas some adenocarcinomas, alternative pathways exist, being investigated. In addition, techniques, including miRNA screening on blood samples cytology samples--such sputum samples--may become clinically relevant accurate predicting progression.