The incidence of lung cancer has reached epidemic proportions throughout the civilized world. One indication of the dimensions of this problem is that in the United States lung cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death in women as well as men. In 1912 there was a "nearly complete consensus of opinion that primary malignant neoplasms of the lung (were one) of the rarest forms of disease," according to Adler. By 1937, however, it had become clear that the incidence of lung cancer was increasing significantly; this increase has been progressive ever since. It is now well known that some lung cancers give rise to a variety of hormones which, at times, produce clinical manifestations. The association of hormone production with a "nonendocrine" tumor raises many questions, the answers to which may shed some light on the etiology of this prevalent form of cancer. This fascinating prob lem has stimulated a wide variety of studies in both the clinical and the basic sciences. A number of the more recent studies in this field were discussed at the International Symposium on Peptide Hor mones and Lung Cancer held in Marburg, West Germany, on June 18-20, 1984. This volume contains the papers that were pre sented on this occasion.

Hormones and Neurotransmitters in Normal Lung

Occurrence and Distribution of Regulatory Peptides in the Respiratory Tract
Peptide Hormones and Their Possible Functions in the Normal and Abnormal Lung
Neurotransmitters and Their Role in Pulmonary Physiology
Biochemistry of Peptide Hormones and Neurotransmitters Produced by Lung Cancer
Peptide Hormone Biosynthesis - Recent Developments
ACTH and Related Peptides in Lung Cancer
Physalaemin-Like Immunoreactivity from Human Lung Small Cell Carcinoma: Isocratic Reversed-Phase HPLC Analysis of the Chemically Modified Peptide
Calcitonin in Human Malignancies
Differential Expression of the Human Calcitonin - CGRP Gene in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma and Lung Carcinoma Cell Lines
Calcitonin in Lung Cancer
Parathyroid Hormone and PTHmRNA in a Human Small Cell Lung Cancer
The Endocrine Lung Tumor Cell: In Vitro Studies
The Pathogenesis of Hormone-Producing Tumors of the Lung
Peptide Hormone Production in Primary Lung Tumors
Peptide Hormone Production in Lung Cancer Cell Lines of Different Histopathological Types
The Endocrine Lung Tumor Cell: Morphological Aspects
Morphological Growth Characteristics and Hormone Secretion of Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung In Vitro
Regulation of Hormone Production in Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung
The Serum-Free Establishment and in Vitro Growth Properties of Classic and Variant Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Lines
Expression of Peptide and Other Markers in Lung Cancer Cell Lines
Neurotensin in Human Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
Clinical Implications of Peptide Hormone Production in Lung Cancer
Peptide Hormones as Tumor Markers in Lung Cancer Patients
Peptide Hormones in Patients with Lung Cancer
Clinical Evaluation of the Neurophysins as TumorMarkers in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Prospective Multicenter Study of Hormone Markers in Small Cell Lung Cancer
General Aspects of Tumor Growth
Syndromes Associated with Inappropriate Hormone Synthesis by Tumors: An Evolutionary Interpretation
Genes and Gene Products Involved in Growth Regulation of Tumor Cells
Oncogene Expression in Human Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.