title: Clinical use of biomarkers of survival in pulmonary fibrosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biologic predictors or biomarkers of survival in pulmonary fibrosis with a worse prognosis, more specifically in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis would help the clinician in deciding whether or not to treat since treatment carries a potential risk for adverse events. These decisions are made easier if accurate and objective measurements of the patients' clinical status can predict the risk of progression to death.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature review is given on different biomarkers of survival in interstitial lung disease, mainly in IPF, since this disease has the worst prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum biomarkers, and markers measured by medical imaging as HRCT, pertechnegas, DTPA en FDG-PET are not ready for clinical use to predict mortality in different forms of ILD. A baseline FVC, a change of FVC of more than 10%, and change in 6MWD are clinically helpful predictors of survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, Genk, Belgium. michiel@thomeer.org
authors.forename: Michiel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomeer
authors.forename: Jan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Grutters
authors.forename: Wim A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Wuyts
authors.forename: Stijn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: Maurits G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Demedts
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers