[Interstitial lung disease]

This concise article summarizes recent advances in the field of interstitial lung disease (ILD) with particular focus on clinically relevant findings. As a novel treatment option for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), pirfenidone has been granted marketing authorization in the European Union for the treatment of mild to moderate IPF. In contrast, the FDA refused to approve pirfenidone for the US market. Promising study results for the treatment of IPF were published for the triple tyrosine kinase inhibitor intedanib, other drugs such as the endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) macitentan are currently investigated in clinical trials. Further studies that investigated the ERA bosentan, the phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor sildenafil, or the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib in IPF failed to show a benefit for the pertinent primary endpoint. Additionally, an evidence-based guideline for the diagnosis and management of IPF has very recently been published. The European Respiratory Society established a guideline for the management of lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), while another study showed the cost effectiveness of HRCT screening for LAM in selected female patients suffering from spontaneous pneumothorax. Data from a scleroderma-ILD study show the prognostic relevance of antitopoisomerase antibodies in the progression of this form of ILD. Bosentan treatment did not significantly enhance exercise capacity in patients with scleroderma-ILD in the absence of pulmonary hypertension. With regard to sarcoidosis with mediastinal lymphadenopathy the diagnostic sensitivity can be significantly improved by endobronchial ultrasonography-guided transbronchial needle aspiration vs. conventional needle aspiration. As a possible future treatment option for sarcoidosis vasointestinal peptide has been successfully evaluated in a phase 2 tolerability trial.