Right now we use the same conventional staging system for BAC as with other lung cancers. I don't have a great alternative just yet. I can tell you that as the lead investigator on several BAC trials, there are huge differences in the natural history of their cancer, regardless of what our treatment does.

The clinical syndrome of BAC is characterized by spread primarily through the lungs, a higher proportion of never-smokers or light former smokers, a greater proportion of women, and often progresses more slowly than most other lung cancers.