A Scientific Roundtable Meeting on new evidence in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was held on June 9, 2006 at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel in Hong Kong. Twenty-five Council and Exco members of the Hong Kong Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians (Hong Kong and Macau Chapter) participated in this meeting.
Professor Neil Barnes, Consultant Respiratory Physician from the London Chest Hospital of the United Kingdom presented the latest research findings on COPD. He emphasized the importance of inflammation in the pathogenesis of the disease and the anti-inflammatory effects of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and ICS/long acting beta-agonist (LABA) combination. He went on to present preliminary results of the TORCH (Towards a Revolution in COPD Health) study which examines the effect of salmeterol/fluticasone on the mortality of COPD patients.
Prof Barnes’ talk was very well received with enthusiastic participation from members during the discussion time.
