Lung cancer is the third most common
cancer in the world and has the highest
cancer mortality rate. A worldwide increasing trend of
lung adenocarcinoma has been noted. In addition, the identification of
epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and the introduction of EGFR inhibitors to successfully treat EGFR mutated non-small cell
lung cancers are breakthroughs for
lung cancer treatment. The current study evaluated the incidence and survival of
lung cancer using data collected by the Taiwan
Cancer Registry between 1996 and 2008. The results showed that the most common histologic subtype of
lung cancer was
adenocarcinoma, followed by
squamous cell carcinoma,
small cell carcinoma,
large cell carcinoma,
neuroendocrine tumors,
lymphoma, and
sarcoma. Overall, the incidence of
lung cancer in Taiwan increased significantly from 1996 to 2008. An increased incidence was observed for
adenocarcinoma, particularly for women, with an annual percentage change of 5.9, whereas the incidence of
squamous cell carcinoma decreased. Among the subtypes of
lung cancer, the most rapid increase occurred in
neuroendocrine tumors with an annual percentage change of 15.5. From 1996-1999 to 2005-2008, the 1-year survival of
adenocarcinoma increased by 10% for men, whereas the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survivals of
adenocarcinoma for women increased by 18%, 11%, and 5%, respectively. Overall, the incidence of
lung cancer has been increasing in Taiwan, although the trends were variable by subtype. The introduction of targeted
therapies was associated with a significantly improved survival for
lung adenocarcinoma in Taiwan; however, more studies are needed to explain the rising incidence of
lung adenocarcinoma. In addition, it is important to investigate the molecular pathogenesis of the various subtypes of
lung cancer to develop novel therapeutic agents.