https://medicalxpress.com/pulmonary-medicine-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Pulmonary medicine Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified a stem-like state in small-cell lung cancer that distinguishes a group of patients with exceptionally poor outcomes following chemoimmunotherapy, according to a study published in Cell Reports Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-stem-celllike-tumor-state-high.html Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:20:18 EDT news711036962 People with long COVID have distinct differences in the mix of bacteria that live in their mouths and lungs, according to a study of more than 700 people published in the European Respiratory Journal. The research also shows that these differences in the lung microbiome are linked to respiratory symptoms, as well as the cognitive and digestive problems known to occur in long COVID. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-severe-covid-linked-differences-lung.html Sun, 11 Oct 2026 19:10:01 EDT news710769841 A 'rising fog' may cloud the immune system's ability to detect tumors and may be the key to tackling lung cancer that is developing years before diagnosis. The team at University College London (UCL) followed this signal using prototype blood tests and reversed it using drugs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-immune-fog-flag-lung-cancer.html Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:40:08 EDT news710697901 A common bacterium found in the mouth and airways may help the lungs better defend themselves against pneumonia, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-common-airway-bacterium-lungs-pneumonia.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 19:40:16 EDT news710611441 Vaccination against a common respiratory virus during pregnancy lowers the risk of severe disease in babies by 74%, but uptake in many countries remains low, a new review suggests. The report also reveals evidence of lower uptake of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine among some socioeconomic and ethnic groups, those with reduced access to health care and younger mothers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-global-stark-differences-maternal-rsv.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:30:18 EDT news710592421 A new organoid model built with human lung fragments may help us answer key questions about one of the body's first lines of defense against respiratory pathogens. In a new study, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine elicited virus-specific immune responses from these organoids and showed that administering a virus booster weakened subsequent infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-human-lung-organoids-built-immune.html Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:40:13 EDT news710596801 Just days of e-cigarette vapor exposure can injure the lungs' most delicate tissue and leave it more vulnerable to viral infection, according to a study led by National Jewish Health researchers and published in JCI Insight. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-cigarette-lung-weaken-defenses-respiratory.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:00:18 EDT news710495461 Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke may reprogram different populations of lung stem cells, which maintain and repair lung tissue, in ways that make them vulnerable to specific cancer-causing gene alterations and ultimately help determine the type of lung cancer that develops. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-cigarette-prime-lung-stem-cells.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:20:02 EDT news710435881 As we grow older, our bodies accumulate "zombie cells"—living cells that have stopped dividing or functioning normally but linger in our tissues, contributing to chronic inflammation and age-related diseases. A new study led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers and published in Nature Aging helps explain why these cells, formally known as senescent cells, become increasingly difficult to eliminate. The research also points to a potential strategy for helping the body rid itself of these cells. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-zombie-cells-accumulate-age.html Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:00:27 EDT news710416501 About 25% of lung adenocarcinomas have mutations of the gene KRAS, which drives uncontrolled cell growth. In recent years, the FDA has approved two KRAS inhibitors to treat patients with KRAS mutations. While these drugs can work well initially, tumors almost always develop resistance to them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-lung-cancers-mechanisms-evade-kras.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:40:01 EDT news709984261 Genetic markers in the blood that can signal lung cancer risk up to 10 years before a person is diagnosed have been discovered by University of Hawaiʻi researchers. The set of 31 tiny markers, called small noncoding RNAs, could eventually help identify people at higher risk while cancer remains clinically undetected. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-blood-rna-markers-flag-lung.html Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:20:01 EDT news709979521 A powerful veterinary sedative, medetomidine, is increasingly appearing in street supplies of the already deadly opioid fentanyl, and the number of patients suffering from medetomidine withdrawal has quadrupled in recent years, according to a new analysis by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-severe-cases-medetomidine.html Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:20:14 EDT news709912889 The epithelium, a layer of cells that forms a protective barrier between the body and the outside world, was the first organized tissue to evolve. Epithelial cells lining our airways are mainly seen as a structural barrier, but cell biologist Jody Rosenblatt, who runs a lab at the Crick and King's College London, believes their evolutionary history suggests they play a much more active role in infections. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-airway-lining-infection-physically-infected.html Mon, 28 Sep 2026 14:40:04 EDT news709824241 Vaping products are becoming smarter—and potentially more addictive. Some new devices now reward users with cryptocurrency and other incentives tied to vaping behavior. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-paid-vape-dangerous-combination.html Sat, 26 Sep 2026 07:30:01 EDT news709559102 A study led by researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that a dietary form of a naturally occurring molecule called calcium alpha-ketoglutarate, or Ca-αKG, reduced lung tumor growth in female mice and activated genes associated with better outcomes in women with lung cancer. The researchers also found that Ca-αKG had the opposite effect in male mice, where it was associated with larger tumors and increased tumor-cell proliferation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-dietary-supplement-lung-tumor-growth.html Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:40:01 EDT news709555621 Research led by the University of Oxford has found that rapid economic growth brought major gains in access to electricity and cleaner cooking in India, but growing reliance on coal-fired power has contributed to worsening outdoor air pollution and a sharp rise in urban air pollution-related deaths. The study is published in Nature Cities. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-coal-powered-economic-growth-linked.html Fri, 25 Sep 2026 05:00:05 EDT news709483981 A research team led by Hnin Yin Yin Nyein, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has developed a wearable device called "HELP" (heteromodal epidermal liquid-metal patch). Using liquid-metal technology, the soft, skin-like patch simultaneously tracks breathing and heart activity. The comfortable, noninvasive technology marks a promising step toward continuous, clinical-grade health monitoring at home for patients with chronic respiratory and heart conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-skin-patch-minute-apnea-events.html Thu, 24 Sep 2026 10:40:11 EDT news709463997 Human breath could help identify cancerous lung nodules and reduce the need for invasive testing. New Griffith University research analyzed exhaled breath to help doctors distinguish between cancerous and noncancerous lung nodules, supporting earlier lung cancer diagnosis. Approximately 2.5 million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-distinguish-cancerous-lung-nodules-benign.html Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:40:05 EDT news709461422 Researchers at National Jewish Health have identified a key way estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) helps protect the right side of the heart in pulmonary hypertension. The preclinical findings reveal that ERα preserves the survival and movement of endothelial cells, which line blood vessels, allowing the stressed heart to maintain the small vessels it needs to function. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-estrogen-receptor-key-protector-heart.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:01 EDT news709276622 In the sickest COVID-19 patients, SARS-CoV-2 doesn't just cause severe damage by directly infecting airway cells. The virus can also trigger hyperinflammation—a cycle in which immune cells themselves become infected, stop fighting the virus and instead trigger high levels of inflammation throughout the lungs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-viral-protein-hijacks-immune-cells.html Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:00:08 EDT news708883021 A rare inherited mutation in the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene is associated with a 25-fold increased risk of lung cancer, according to a study by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and 23andMe Research Institute. The findings included de-identified, aggregated genetic data from more than 3.3 million 23andMe research-consented participants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-rare-inherited-egfr-mutation-linked.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 14:00:29 EDT news708863161 As climate change drives more frequent and intense wildfires, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have published two large-scale studies showing that wildfire smoke may pose greater health risks than other sources of air pollution, with higher risks of hospitalization for cardiovascular and respiratory disease and poorer survival among patients with lung cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-wildfire-air-pollution.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:40:01 EDT news708860221 A little-known chronic lung disease is silently emerging as a growing public health threat in the U.S. and around the world. Nontuberculous mycobacteria—a group of 200 known environmental bacteria found in soil and water, including household plumbing—can cause chronic, tuberculosis-like lung infections. NTM lung disease afflicts as many as 300,000 Americans a year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-diagnosis-hard-lung-infections.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:00:21 EDT news708778382