Research Newsletter

Spring 2009

The Temple Lung Center has become one of the country’s top referral and research centers for lung disease.We are acutely aware of our responsibility to find the best new options for patients with rare or hard-to-diagnosis lung conditions. Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) exemplify this mission. In this UPDATE, we list a number of our actively enrolling trials and we provide details on two new trials and a registry for patients with IPF.

Prompt evaluation of the patient with potential IPF is critical. Unfortunately, findings in both the physical examination and the laboratory evaluation are often not specific for IPF. Also, the search for causes of secondary fibrosis (e.g., connective tissue disease, drug exposure, environmental exposure, and chronic aspiration) is often unproductive. In fact, the diagnostic approach to IPF has evolved rapidly and now includes very specific but rather complex criteria for distinguishing among the various interstitial pneumonias based on detailed clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings. As increasingly targeted therapies are tested and introduced in coming years, the importance of a rapid and precise diagnosis of IPF and related lung disorders will only grow.

In recent years, with ever-greater insights into the pathophysiology of rare diseases, rapid referral of patients with rare disorders has become essential. Precise diagnosis and early targeted therapy now provide new hope to many patients who previously were managed only with palliative or hospice-type care.

Click here for information on current IPF trials.

We invite respiratory specialists to learn more about enrolling patients in these IPF trials. Please call us at 215-707-1359 or e-mail breathe@temple.edu if you have questions about any of our clinical trials.

Francis C. Cordova, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine
Director, Fibrotic Lung Disease Program
Medical Director, Lung Transplantation Program