ABSTRACT
A prospective, non randomized multi-institutional study was conducted to assess the clinicopathological features and incidence of familial lung cancer in patients presenting in major oncology centres in Karachi. A total of 71 patients were interviewed all but 4 were married. Majority belong to middle and low income group. More than half did not have University education. More than two third were urban dwellers. About half had white collared jobs. Tobacco use was rampant in the study population. Majority had good ECOG performance status at presentation. More then 50% had diabetes and hypertension and comorbids. Chest pain, cough, weight loss and breathlessness were the chief presenting complaints, while consolidation/collapse, effusion and lymph adenopathy were major physical findings. Half of the study population underwent bronchoscopy biopsy as diagnostic procedure. Three fourth of them had NSCLC. Squamous cell carcinoma was the major histological type. Among NSCLC early and advanced staged disease was evenly distributed while extensive disease was predominant stage of SCLC. Family size, particularly the extended family, in our population appears to be fairly large. No direct