Previously, the "gold standard" to diagnose lung cancer consisted of two invasive surgeries:  wedge thoracotomy (open chest partial lung removal) to biopsy the lung and mediastinoscopy (invasive lymph node surgery) to biopsy the lymph nodes.  Patients with poor lung function who could not tolerate these more invasive procedures were left with "watchful waiting" as their only option.  

About Lung CancerAccording to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, causing more deaths than breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer combined.  Each year, approximately 200,000 patients are newly diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States and an additional 160,000 patients die from the disease."  Over one million patients die worldwide from lung cancer every year.  The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide lung cancer deaths surpassed heart disease in 2010.  The company notes, this is in addition to the millions of patients who are currently on watchful waiting with an undiagnosed spot on their lung.