Preface

In a career extending over six decades in Cardiothoracic Surgery, I have witnessed many innovations, advances, and changes in all aspects of lung cancer and its treatment. Some resulted from the inevitable consequences of re-organization in health care, others related to ephemeral meteors in fashion. One thing, which has not significantly altered concerns the overall outcome for lung cancer, as measured by actual - as opposed to actuarial – survival, which has remained weak.

The aims and objectives of this book are to provide an update on current understandings of lung cancer and the pathways to diagnosis and treatment for the readers, surgeons, physicians, scientists, health care professionals and others.. The more general ethos has been to remind readers of some of the long-standing basics, together with contemporary and state of the art diagnostic and therapeutic methods

I believe that, with the help of my colleagues, the authors, we have gone a long way towards the realization of this aim. I thank them for their contributions and enthusiasm.

I am greatly indebted to Kate Dixon, my colleague, and friend, for her devotion in attempting to organize both me and the book.

I acknowledge with thanks my secretary, Janet Melvin, who has spent hours in typing and formatting the manuscripts. Sirpa Pajunen-Moghissi had to re-draw many of the figures at short notice. It is a pleasure to acknowledge her effort with thanks.

Last but not the least, my sincere appreciation to Miss Mariam Mehdi, Assistant Manager (Publications) at Bentham, who has been a constant source of energy and empathy, and also Mr. Obaid Sadiq, Manager, Bentham Books, who supervised publication.