According to The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, the estimated new cases of lung and bronchus cancer in 2014 are 224,210. The estimated deaths as a result of lung and bronchus cancer in 2014 are 159,260; accounting for 27.2 percent of cancer deaths. In 2011 there were an estimated 402,326 people living with lung and bronchus cancer in the United States. Lung and bronchus cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Approximately 6.8 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2009-2011 data and analysis. Of the aforementioned patients whom are diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer, the calculated average of those surviving five years post-diagnosis is a devastating 16.8 percent, based on 2004-2010 data. According to a study conducted by The Pulmonary Care Respiratory Journal in 2009 : The annual-incidence rates of lung cancer per 10,000 person-years were at least four-times higher in patients with prior COPD (increasing from 45 to 64 in men; 29 to 48 in women) compared with the general population (from 10 to 15 in men; 5 to 10 in women). Furthermore, these lung cancer trends had significant annual increases that were similar in men (5%) and in women (5.5%) with prior COPD. The three-year survival rate for lung cancer patients with prior COPD was almost half that of the general population (15% versus 26%) and the highest mortality was observed in men aged 45-64 (83.79 per 100 persons; 95%). The earlier lung and bronchus cancer is caught, the better chance a person has of surviving five years after being diagnosed. Excluding unknown or unstaged (which accounts for 6% of cases) there are three main lung and bronchus cancer stage types: Local stage (confined to a primary site), regional stage (spread to nearby lymph nodes), and distant stage (metastasized). For lung and bronchus cancer, 15.4% are diagnosed at the local stage. The five-year survival for localized lung and bronchus cancer is 54.0%. The amount of patients diagnosed with regional stage lung and bronchus cancer is 22%. The five-year survival rate for regional stage lung and bronchus cancer is 26.5%. Distant stage lung and bronchus cancer accounts for 57% of cases. The five-year survival rate for distant stage lung and bronchus cancer is 4.0%. Death rates for lung cancer are higher among the middle-aged and older populations. The percent of lung and bronchus cancer deaths is highest among people aged 65-74, with the median age at death being 72. There are currently no screening procedures for early detection of lung cancer in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or other smoking-related diseases; which is obviously reflected in the statistical analysis of staging at the time of diagnosis. The majority of patients remain asymptomatic during the local stage and may or may not become symptomatic during the regional stage. Patients that report new or worsening symptoms are often overlooked by their providers. Many physicians commonly attribute the new or worsening symptoms to the progression of existing COPD. When symptoms persist and severity continues to increase, the medical provider begins investigating by conducting various forms of tests, procedures, and exams. Tragically, 57% of lung cancer diagnoses are discovered and confirmed during this time, and prognoses are detrimentally affected by the occurrence of metastasis prior to or during the time of diagnosis.