Project description:Background: There are well-documented disparities in lung cancer outcomes across populations. Lung cancer screening (LCS) has the potential to reduce lung cancer mortality, but for this benefit to be realized by all high-risk groups, there must be careful attention to ensuring equitable access to this lifesaving preventive health measure.Objectives: To outline current knowledge on disparities in eligibility criteria for, access to, and implementation of LCS, and to develop an official American Thoracic Society statement to propose strategies to optimize current screening guidelines and resource allocation for equitable LCS implementation and dissemination.Methods: A multidisciplinary panel with expertise in LCS, implementation science, primary care, pulmonology, health behavior, smoking cessation, epidemiology, and disparities research was convened. Participants reviewed available literature on historical disparities in cancer screening and emerging evidence of disparities in LCS.Results: Existing LCS guidelines do not consider racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and sex-based differences in smoking behaviors or lung cancer risk. Multiple barriers, including access to screening and cost, further contribute to the inequities in implementation and dissemination of LCS.Conclusions: This statement identifies the impact of LCS eligibility criteria on vulnerable populations who are at increased risk of lung cancer but do not meet eligibility criteria for screening, as well as multiple barriers that contribute to disparities in LCS implementation. Strategies to improve the selection and dissemination of LCS in vulnerable groups are described.
Project description:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and resource use worldwide. The goal of this official American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) Research Statement is to describe evidence related to diagnosis, assessment, and management; identify gaps in knowledge; and make recommendations for future research. It is not intended to provide clinical practice recommendations on COPD diagnosis and management. Clinicians, researchers and patient advocates with expertise in COPD were invited to participate. A literature search of Medline was performed, and studies deemed relevant were selected. The search was not a systematic review of the evidence. Existing evidence was appraised and summarised, and then salient knowledge gaps were identified. Recommendations for research that addresses important gaps in the evidence in all areas of COPD were formulated via discussion and consensus. Great strides have been made in the diagnosis, assessment and management of COPD, as well as understanding its pathogenesis. Despite this, many important questions remain unanswered. This ATS/ERS research statement highlights the types of research that leading clinicians, researchers and patient advocates believe will have the greatest impact on patient-centred outcomes.
Project description:Estimates of the health impacts of air pollution are needed to make informed air quality management decisions at both the national and local levels. Using design values of ambient pollution concentrations from 2011-2013 as a baseline, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the Marron Institute of Urban Management estimated excess morbidity and mortality in the United States attributable to exposure to ambient ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at levels above the American Thoracic Society-recommended standards. Within the subset of counties with valid design values for each pollutant, 14% had PM2.5 concentrations greater than the ATS recommendation, whereas 91% had O3 concentrations greater than the ATS recommendation. Approximately 9,320 excess deaths (69% from O3; 31% from PM2.5), 21,400 excess morbidities (74% from O3; 26% from PM2.5), and 19,300,000 adversely impacted days (88% from O3; 12% from PM2.5) in the United States each year are attributable to pollution exceeding the ATS-recommended standards. California alone is responsible for 37% of the total estimated health impacts, and the next three states (Pennsylvania, Texas, and Ohio) together contributed to 20% of the total estimates. City-specific health estimates are provided in this report and through an accompanying online tool to help inform air quality management decisions made at the local level. Riverside and Los Angeles, California have the most to gain by attaining the ATS recommendations for O3 and PM2.5. This report will be revised and updated regularly to help cities track their progress.
Project description:BackgroundLymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare cystic lung disease that primarily affects women. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of LAM.MethodsSystematic reviews were performed to summarize evidence pertinent to our questions. The evidence was summarized and discussed by a multidisciplinary panel. Evidence-based recommendations were then formulated, written, and graded using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach.ResultsAfter considering the panel's confidence in the estimated effects, the balance of desirable (i.e., benefits) and undesirable (i.e., harms and burdens) consequences of treatment, patient values and preferences, cost, and feasibility, recommendations were formulated for or against specific interventions. These included recommendations for sirolimus treatment and vascular endothelial growth factor D testing and recommendations against doxycycline and hormonal therapy.ConclusionsEvidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with LAM are provided. Frequent reassessment and updating will be needed.
Project description:BackgroundInternational guidelines define severe uncontrolled asthma. Biologics or bronchial thermoplasty (Bio/BT) are recommended for such patients.ObjectivesTo determine which definitions of severe uncontrolled asthma are associated with an additional Bio/BT treatment in patients with severe uncontrolled asthma.MethodsConsecutive 107 asthmatics (including 15 patients for whom Bio/BT was introduced within 3 months after examination), classified as treatment step 4 according to the Global Initiative for Asthma 2015 guideline, were eligible for this analysis. Patients were assessed using the European Thoracic Society/American Thoracic Society (ERS/ATS) severe uncontrolled asthma guideline as defined by these 4 characteristics: poor control (ACT < 20), frequent exacerbations (≥2/yr), admissions (≥1/yr), and airflow limitation (forced expiratory volume in 1 second < 80% of predicted), along with comorbidities, and biomarkers, including blood granulocytes, fractional nitric oxide, and capsaicin cough reflex sensitivity (C-CS). These indices were compared between patients with and without Bio/BT introduction, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association of the 4 definitions with treatment needs for Bio/BT.ResultsPatients who were introduced to Bio/BT had heightened C-CS, heavier smoking history, and a greater prevalence of diabetes mellitus than those without (p < 0.05). Poor asthma control (ACT < 20), frequent exacerbations (≥2/yr), and admissions (≥1/yr) were relevant to the future use of Bio/BT in the multivariate regression analysis. Type 2-related biomarkers including absolute eosinophil counts were higher in patients in the Bio introduction group than in the BT introduction group. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference of the 4 characteristics of severe uncontrolled asthma definition between patients in the Bio and those in the BT groups.ConclusionAlthough multiple factors such as treatment cost and asthma phenotypes affect treatment decision-making, the definition of poor asthma control, frequent exacerbations and admission by the ERS/ATS guidelines were important factors for an additional intensive treatment for severe uncontrolled asthma.Trial registrationUMIN Clinical Trials Registry: UMIN000024734.
Project description:Background: Spirometry is the most common pulmonary function test. It is widely used in the assessment of lung function to provide objective information used in the diagnosis of lung diseases and monitoring lung health. In 2005, the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society jointly adopted technical standards for conducting spirometry. Improvements in instrumentation and computational capabilities, together with new research studies and enhanced quality assurance approaches, have led to the need to update the 2005 technical standards for spirometry to take full advantage of current technical capabilities.Methods: This spirometry technical standards document was developed by an international joint task force, appointed by the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society, with expertise in conducting and analyzing pulmonary function tests, laboratory quality assurance, and developing international standards. A comprehensive review of published evidence was performed. A patient survey was developed to capture patients' experiences.Results: Revisions to the 2005 technical standards for spirometry were made, including the addition of factors that were not previously considered. Evidence to support the revisions was cited when applicable. The experience and expertise of task force members were used to develop recommended best practices.Conclusions: Standards and consensus recommendations are presented for manufacturers, clinicians, operators, and researchers with the aims of increasing the accuracy, precision, and quality of spirometric measurements and improving the patient experience. A comprehensive guide to aid in the implementation of these standards was developed as an online supplement.