Lung cancer today is one of the most common cancers. Every year around 2 million new cases are registered worldwide and approximately 1.76 million deaths occur due to Lung cancer. In order to raise awareness about risk factors, signs and symptoms, and the importance of early detection of lung cancer, every year, a lot of Lung cancer awareness programmes are held worldwide.
The lung cancer is basically of two types; small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The NSCLC is the most common type and accounts for about 80 to 85% of lung cancer cases, while the SCLC accounts for 15 – 20% of cases. According to the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), “in Europe, NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, which accounts for 80─90% of all lung cancer cases”.
Both types of cancer show different growth patterns and are treated differently. NSCLC grows and metastasizes to other organs at a much slower rate as compared to SCLC.
Worldwide some of the key companies are diligently involved in the development of therapies for NSCLC, some of the them includes AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, AbbVie, Roche, Merk, Novartis, Pfizer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, and many others. Similarly, the companies in SCLC market include AstraZeneca, PharmaMar, EpicentRx, G1 Therapeutics, and several others.
Every year lung cancer causes a significant number of deaths worldwide. It affects the life expectancy and quality of life for the affected individual, along with it also causes a huge financial and mental burden on the affected families. In order to tackle lung cancer, the health bodies and governments have adopted several preventive and control initiatives to reduce its burden. Along with them the pharmaceutical companies are also working towards drug development for lung cancer.
Source: Lung Cancer Signs, Symptoms and Risk Factors