Exercise intolerance is a common symptom in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and reflects not only cardiorespiratory status, but global disease severity and prognosis.
Evaluating exercise capacity allows the monitoring of disease trajectory and response to intervention. Although formal cardiopulmonary metabolic exercise testing provides a wealth of physiological information, this is impractical in some settings. Field tests, which do not require specialist equipment and expertise, are widely used as surrogates.
This review examines established and emerging field tests of exercise capacity, and examines the evidence supporting the validity, reliability, and interpretation of these tests in the assessment of individuals with COPD. The 6-minute walk, incremental shuttle walk, and...
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are a group of ubiquitous environmental organisms which may cause infection in humans, most commonly pulmonary disease.
Most individuals with disease have an underlying structural lung disease such as bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; however, individuals with no known risk factors may also develop disease; the reason for this is unknown. NTM are frequent contaminants of clinical samples, and diagnosis does not rest upon culture alone, but also clinical and radiographic findings.
The clinical course of patients with NTM is variable, patients may remain stable without treatment and the decision to treat may not be straightforward. Treatment for NTM varies between species but is usually with multiple antimycobacterial agents for a prol...
Non–small cell lung cancer is no longer viewed as a single disease, but a constellation of cancer types that benefit from different treatments.
Advancements in the identification of driver mutations with specific Food and Drug Administration–regulated molecular tests have been approved for matching the right treatment to the right patient. These biomarkers, referred to as theranostic biomarkers, because of their ability to support treatment decisions and predict a clinical response are changing the way oncologists formulate non–small cell lung cancer treatment plans.
Currently approved biomarker tests for lung cancer include fluorescence in situ hybridization testing for genetic rearrangements and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing for genetic mutations. ...