Interstitial Lung Disease Program

Interstitial Lung Disease Treatment Options video with Dr. Erin Camac

Temple pulmonologists know the importance of making an accurate diagnosis when it comes to interstitial lung diseases and are able to offer a variety of treatment options.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is an umbrella term for disorders involving scarring or inflammation of the tissue surrounding the air sacs in the lungs. Since many patients with interstitial lung disease get worse over time, getting a diagnosis and beginning treatment as soon as possible is important.

Types of Interstitial Lung Disease We Treat

Our specialists see patients with all types of ILD, including:

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
Sarcoidosis
Acute interstitial pneumonitis (AIP)
Bleomycin-induced pneumonitis (BIP)
Scleroderma-related lung disease
Other connective-tissue disease associated ILDs (CTD-ILD)
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP)
Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP)

Our Team Approach

We have some of the best doctors for interstitial lung disease. We use a multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat ILD, and are often able to diagnose patients without the need for a lung biopsy. Instead, our doctors use non-invasive, high-resolution scans to diagnose most patients.

When a lung biopsy is necessary, our specialists offer:

Transbronchial lung biopsies — performed using a bronchoscope inserted through the main airways of the lungs
Open lung biopsies — performed by making an incision in the chest between the ribs

These are done to ensure patients experience as little discomfort as possible, while providing an accurate diagnosis.

Expert Care and Advanced Research

We offer a high standard of treatment for patients with interstitial lung disease. Our specialists are experienced in prescribing and managing drug therapy, including nintedanib and pirfenidone. These drugs are FDA approved for the treatment of IPF but can be difficult to manage. For this reason, it's important for treatment with these drugs to be overseen by physicians who are experienced in their use.

In addition to providing expert care using currently available therapies, our specialists are also involved in clinical trials. Many of these trials examine the use of approved medications for treatment of other conditions to determine their ability to become future treatments for patients with ILD. Patients may even be eligible for clinical trials that allow them to continue their current therapies during the study. Temple’s clinical trials program offers eligible patients a chance to benefit from the very latest treatments and therapies.

In patients with advanced disease, lung transplant is an important treatment option. We work closely with Temple’s Lung Transplant Program to provide patients with one of the best transplant outcomes in the Tri-State area.