Standard treatment of emphysema includes inhaled medication, oxygen therapy and exercise rehabilitation. Lung reduction surgery and lung transplantation are surgical options in more advanced cases. However, some recent exciting but preliminary clinical and animal studies have suggested a potential role for retinoids in the actual reversal of changes that emphysema causes in the lungs. Retinoic acid also is known to have a significant role in lung development in infants, but no study to date has been published on its effects in people with emphysema. At the University of Pittsburgh, the three-year, randomized study will enroll 120 participants with moderate to severe emphysema.
Researchers hope to identify evidence of lung regrowth.
Currently, ATRA is FDA approved for use in treating a form of leukemia and 13-cRA is FDA approved for treating acne. Through the efforts of Robert Rogers, M.D., former chairman of the department of pulmonary, allergy and critical care medicine, researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver will analyze patient CT scans.