Respiratory medicine

Caring for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will present a major challenge over the next decade. Due to a combination of factors including past and present smoking habits and an ageing population it is the only major chronic disease that is still associated with rising mortality. Rising rates of smoking in developing countries and the impact of women “catching up” with men's smoking habits will further affect the development of COPD, as well as lung cancer. This review focuses primarily on COPD, asthma, oncology, and lung transplantation, where in each case recent evidence has been, or is likely to be, associated with advances in clinical management.