Survival following lung transplantation for artificial stone silicosis relative to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background: Silicosis is a progressive lung disease resulting from the inhalation of respirable crystalline silica. Lung transplantation is the only treatment for end-stage silicosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the survival experience following lung transplantation among patients with silicosis. Methods: We reviewed data for all patients who underwent lung transplantation for silicosis and a matched group undergoing lung transplantation for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) at a single medical center between March 2006 and the end of December 2013. Survival was followed through 2015. Results: A total of 17 lung transplantations were performed for silicosis among 342 lung transplantations (4.9%) during the study period. We observed non-statistically significant survival advantage (hazard ratio 0.6; 95%CI 0.24–1.55) for those undergoing lung transplantation for silicosis relative to IPF patients undergoing lung transplantation during the same period. Conclusions: Within the limits of a small sample, survival in silicosis patients following lung transplantation was not reduced compared to IPF. Am. J. Ind. Med. 60:248–254, 2017.