The Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center offers a specialty program dedicated to the needs of patients with a variety of Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs).

Stanford Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic

Started in 2004, the Stanford Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic cares for patients with a variety of ILDs, including exposure-related occupational and environmental ILDs, autoimmune/connective tissue disease ILDs secondary to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Dermatomyositis, and Polymyositis, and Idiopathic ILDs such as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia, and Sarcoidosis. A large portion of our ILD patients have Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) which is scarring of the lung tissue due to unknown (idiopathic) causes. Approximately 250,000 people in the United States and Europe have IPF with approximately 40,000 new cases reported per year in the United States. Our program includes comprehensive care, ground-breaking scientific research, and education and support for people with ILD.

Multidisciplinary Approach for Early Diagnosis

We offer a comprehensive, individualized, multidisciplinary approach to evaluate patients with possible ILDs who present with symptoms of increasing shortness of breath and cough. Many of our patients have had a difficult and prolonged journey to establish an accurate and early diagnosis. Our group includes our expert colleagues in Rheumatology, Gastroenterology, Pathology, Radiology, Interventional Pulmonology, Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation in order to identify the specific type of ILD and to develop an individualized treatment plan.  Patients are reviewed weekly at our Multidisciplinary Interstitial Lung Disease  conference to establish a diagnosis and treatment plan based on consensus of this interdisciplinary group of experts. (Read more will link to message from the Chief)

Upcoming Events

Stanford ILD Monthly Support Group

Virtual- first Monday of every month, 11:30am -1pm.

- Dec 13, 2021:  Update on Stem Cell Research
- Jan 10, 2022:  Strategies to Live Well with ILD
-Feb 7, 2022:  Mindfulness-Based Therapies
- Mar 7, 2022:  Two Years Later:  Where Are We with COVID?

View Support Group Schedul (PDF)

Stanford ILD CME event for Healthcare Professionals

Planned for 1st qtr 2023 at Li Ka Shing Learning Center

Unfortunately we needed to reschedule our planned ILD CME event for this year but we are planning to offer it again during the 1st qtr. of 2023 at the Li Ka Shing Learning and Knowledge Center at Stanford. 

Our last event in February 2020 drew over 100 local medical professionals for a full day with the focus integrating  radiographic findings in the diagnosis of ILDs.

Announcements

New Clinical Trials Open to Enrollment

Stanford’s ILD program includes a robust clinical research program.  We have recently opened new clinical trials to enrollment for patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and also to patients with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP), Connective Tissue Disease (CTD), smoking-related ILDs, and unclassifiable fibrotic ILDs.  The majority of our clinical trials allow, but do not require, participants to be on concurrent antifibrotic therapy. Investigational interventions include oral as well as intravenous study drugs, as well as an investigational inhaled nitrous oxide (NO) for patients using supplemental oxygen.

Visit the Clinical Research Page

Highlighted Publications

Dual inhibition of αvβ6 and αvβ1 reduces fibrogenesis in lung tissue explants from patients with IPF

Decaris et al. Respir Res (2021) 22:265
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-021-01863-0

This group tested new candidate medicines to see if they could reduce fibrosis in cultures of human lung from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in a mouse model of lung fibrosis. They found a significant reduction in collagen production in both human and mouse lung tissues with an agent that combined two inhibitors of the integrin pathway. A phase 2 clinical trial is currently underway to test the safety and efficacy of this compound, PLN-74809, in patients with IPF.