Update in cancer chemotherapy, Part III: Lung cancer, Part 1.

An update in cancer chemotherapy that deals with the various therapies of lung cancer is described. At present, the stage of the disease and cell type are the major factors that determine the treatment. Important differences in the biological behavior and response to treatment exist between small cell and non-small cell cancers. The small cell type is sensitive to many chemotherapeutic agents. Differences in response to chemotherapy and survival have been less among the non-small cell types.The treatment of non-small cell carcinomas including squamous cell, large cell, and adenocarcinoma are reviewed in Part I of this paper. Small cell lung cancer will be described in Part II, which will be published in a future issue of the journal.