Pulmonology
Surgery Combined With EGFR-TKIs Can Extend NSCLC Survival
Which combination provides the best outcome for high-risk NSCLC? Here's the answer.
Roche Receives FDA Approval for Alecensa
Things are looking up for ALK-positive NSCLC patients, thanks to the recent FDA approval of Alecensa (alectinib), a highly selective ALK inhibitor that was shown to reduce the risk of disease worsening or death by 47% compared with crizotinib.
Early Exposure to Farm Allergens Improves Adult Lung Function, Reduces Rates of Allergies
- Study found beneficial effects of early farm life on sensitization, asthma, rhinitis, and bronchial hyper-responsiveness.
- Researchers examined adults more than 10,000 adults from 14 countries.
- Children raised on farms were 54% less likely to develop asthma or hay fever and 57 percent less likely to have nasal allergies than children raised in cities.
- Children raised on farms were also 50% less likely to develop asthma than children raised in cities.
- Female children raised on farms in all of the 14 countries studied had superior lung function as adults than did women who grew up in cities.
Identification of this Deficiency Improves COPD Diagnosis
- About 1% of all cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are attributable to alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
- Approximately 15% of people who have alpha-1 antitrypsin disease have been diagnosed.
- Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is inherited as an autosomal-codominant condition.
- Blood tests are available to help clinicians distinguish COPD due to alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency from COPD due to other causes.
Quitting Smoking Cold Turkey Is Most Effective Method
- Most smoking cessation guidelines advise quitting abruptly.
- This was found to be the most effective method.
- Irrespective of quitting strategy, most smokers require repeated quit attempts before they are successful.
- Primary care physicians can be secure in stressing the patients quit abruptly.
- Millions of pack years of smoking can be avoided if smokers quit cold turkey versus tapering to a quit.
