Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatments: Lung Transplant

LUNG (PULMONARY): MAIN MENU

Pulmonary Fibrosis

This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not yet been medically edited. See Disclaimer.

Overview of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Mortality and Prognosis
Symptoms

Disease Correlations
Diagnosis
Living with Pulmonary Fibrosis

Treatments
Research

Patient Stories
References

Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatments: Lung Transplants

Overview of Treatments
Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)

Biologic Agents
Mycophenolate Mofetil (Cellcept)

Lung Transplant
Clinical Trials

Oxygen Therapy
Research on New Treatments

Lung Transplant

Lung Transplants, in most cases, is the last resort. This is due to it being a very invasive procedure and requires a lung donor. This procedure is also extremely expensive compared to other treatments. However, lung transplants have been proven to be effective for patient with scleroderma related pulmonary fibrosis. ISN.

Stem Cell Finding Could Help Reduce Transplant Rejection. A new study involving a type of stem cells from the lungs of transplant patients demonstrates for the first time that these progenitor cells reside in adult organs and are not derived from bone marrow, which leads to the possibility that the cells may be able to help with the rejection of donated organs. Newswise. University of Michigan Health System. 03/08/07. (Also see: Graft-versus-Host-Disease)

Lung transplantation in scleroderma compared with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). Patients with scleroderma who are recipients of lung transplantation experience similar rates of survival 2 years after the procedure compared with those with IPF or IPAH. Lung transplantation may represent a viable therapeutic option to consider for patients with end-stage lung disease due to scleroderma. PubMed. Arthritis Rheum. 2006 Dec;54(12):3954-61. (Also see: Pulmonary Hypertension)

Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux in end-stage lung disease candidates for lung transplant. Gastroesophageal reflux is highly prevalent in end-stage lung disease patients who are candidates for lung transplantation. Further investigation is needed to study the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux after lung transplantation and its contribution to chronic allograft dysfunction. PubMed. Ann Thorac Surg. 2005 Oct;80(4):1254-60. (Also see: GERD)

Outcomes of Lung Transplantation in Patients with Scleroderma. In carefully selected patients with scleroderma who have end-stage lung disease, lung transplantation is a valid life-saving therapeutic option. Available data suggest acceptable short-term morbidity and mortality and a long-term survival similar to that of patients given transplants for other lung conditions. PubMed. World J Surg. 2005 Oct 12.