Albert Rizzo, MD, is the chief medical officer of the American Lung Association.

Albert Rizzo, MD

The Lungcast 2025 Recap

Looking back across the past year in pulmonology, it’s clear that the pace of progress has been both rapid and wide-ranging, with new data, evolving clinical strategies, and fresh perspectives reshaping how respiratory diseases are understood and managed. From advances in severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care to expanding conversations around early detection, prevention, and health equity, the field has continued to push forward in meaningful ways that directly affect patient outcomes.

 and the American Lung Association (ALA), Lungcast has served as a platform for these conversations, bringing together clinicians, researchers, and advocates to unpack the science behind the headlines and translate emerging evidence into real-world practice. Across the past year, episodes have explored everything from diagnostic and screening innovations to practical guidance for clinicians and insights into novel and established therapies across the pulmonology landscape.

To capture the breadth of these discussions, 

 presents this Lungcast 2025 recap episode, highlighting a selection of standout conversations from across the series. While far from exhaustive, this collection reflects the themes, questions, and breakthroughs that defined the year in respiratory medicine and underscores Lungcast’s ongoing role as a forum for informed, forward-looking dialogue in pulmonary care.

Below are a sampling of interviews from 2025 for Lungcast viewers and listeners:

Race-Neutral Approach to Pulmonary Function Testing with Meredith McCormack, MD, and Loretta Que, MD

After the Smoke: Wildfire Cleanup & Air Quality Concerns with Afif El-Hasan, MD

Lung Cancer Screening: A Decade of Lessons Learned with Mary Pasquinelli, DNP

2025 State of the Air: Dangers of the Air We Breathe with George Thurston, ScD

Going for GOLD: Updated COPD Guidelines with Gerard Criner, MD

The Lung-Gut Axis - Where Nutrition & Lung Health Intersect with Neal Barnard, MD

Resilience and Sustainability: Preparing Healthcare for the Future with Elizabeth Cerceo, MD

Editor's Note: Rizzo's disclosures include Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Genentech.

Videos

Lungcast reflects on pulmonology in 2025, looking back at topics ranging from ALA's ‘State of the Air’ report to the lung-gut microbiome.



Lungcast: Resilience and Sustainability: Preparing Healthcare for the Future with Elizabeth Cerceo, MD

Resilience and sustainability have become defining priorities for the modern healthcare system, as the dual pressures of climate change and resource strain continue to test institutions worldwide. Hospitals and health networks are not only on the front lines of caring for those affected by environmental crises—they are also significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and waste. In the United States alone, the healthcare sector accounts for nearly 9% of national emissions, making it both a responder to and participant in the broader climate health challenge.

 The concept of resilience—ensuring that hospitals can withstand and recover from disasters, pandemics, and other disruptions—has become inseparable from the pursuit of sustainability, which seeks to reduce environmental impact and preserve the capacity to deliver care for future generations.

At its core, resilience in healthcare extends beyond physical infrastructure. It encompasses workforce stability, supply chain reliability, and the ability to continue providing essential services under extreme conditions—from climate-driven disasters to global health emergencies such as COVID-19. Meanwhile, sustainability initiatives within the sector have expanded from isolated “green” projects to systemwide strategies addressing energy efficiency, waste reduction, and carbon emissions. These efforts are increasingly supported by both economic and ethical imperatives: retrofitting hospitals and reducing reliance on high-emission materials or anesthetic gases can not only lower costs but also prevent future damage, protect patients, and improve community health outcomes.

, host Albert Rizzo, MD, speaks with Elizabeth Cerceo, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of Climate Health at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, about how resilience and sustainability intersect in today’s healthcare landscape. Cerceo, an expert in physician engagement and health policy, discusses practical strategies for building climate-ready health systems, the importance of integrating environmental stewardship into medical education, and how clinicians can view sustainability as a direct extension of patient care and public health.

"We traditionally will think about value just in terms of outcomes over costs. And we need to broaden that. We need to think about outcomes for the patient that we're treating, but also for populations. And we need to expand cost so that it's the planet and its populations and its people, it's all of those things put together. So, I think broadening our lens really changes the conversation," Cerceo said.

Lungcast is a monthly respiratory news podcast series hosted by Albert Rizzo, MD, chief medical officer of the ALA, and produced by 

Editor's Note: Rizzo's disclosures include Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Genentech. Cerceo has no relevant disclosures to report.

Seervai S, Gustafsson L, Abrams MK, et al. How the U.S. Health Care System Contributes to Climate Change. Article. The Commonwealth Fund. April 19, 2022. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/explainer/2022/apr/how-us-health-care-system-contributes-climate-change

Explore how healthcare resilience and sustainability intertwine, addressing climate challenges while enhancing patient care and community health outcomes.

Lungcast: Current Perspectives on Treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer with Jacob Sands, MD

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains one of the most formidable challenges in thoracic oncology. Accounting for roughly 15% of all lung cancers, SCLC is defined by its rapid growth, early metastatic potential, and high recurrence rates.

 While non–SCLC has seen transformative advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapy, SCLC has historically lagged behind, with chemotherapy and radiation long serving as the primary treatment backbone. Despite initial responses to therapy, outcomes have remained poor, with survival rates trailing far behind those seen in other lung cancer subtypes.

In recent years, however, a wave of research has begun to change this narrative. Advances in immunotherapy, novel chemotherapeutic agents, and innovative approaches such as bispecific antibodies and vaccines are reshaping treatment strategies. Landmark trials have introduced new standards of care, particularly in limited-stage disease, and ongoing studies continue to push the field toward more durable control and improved survival.

 The exploration of biomarkers and disease subtypes, once elusive in SCLC, is also beginning to show promise, raising the possibility of more personalized approaches to treatment.

, host Albert Rizzo, MD, is joined by Jacob Sands, MD, thoracic medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Chief of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology and Assistant Professor of Harvard Medical School, to discuss the evolving landscape of SCLC therapy. Sands, who also leads the small cell lung cancer clinical research program at Dana-Farber, shares insights into the latest therapeutic advances, the most promising investigational strategies, and why the outlook for patients with this historically intractable disease is finally beginning to brighten.

"There is more going on right now in the development of drugs for SCLC that looks encouraging, that looks exciting, than the culmination of everything up to this point so far. And the science is getting so fast that I think in the next decade ahead, we're going to see some very big advances in the field, and I'm just so optimistic looking forward now," Sands said. "If we talk in a year, there's going to be so much more to discuss."

Editor's Note: Rizzo's disclosures include Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Genentech. Sands' disclosures include Pfizer

AstraZeneca, Medtronic, Daiichi Sankyo/UCB Japan, Sanofi, Boehringer Ingelheim, PharmaMar, Guardant Health, AbbVie, Gilead Sciences, Lilly, and G1 Therapeutics.

Rudin CM, Brambilla E, Faivre-Finn C, Sage J. Small-cell lung cancer. 

. 2021;7(1):3. Published 2021 Jan 14. doi:10.1038/s41572-020-00235-0

Takahashi T, Yamanaka T, Seto T, et al. Prophylactic cranial irradiation versus observation in patients with extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer: a multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial. 

Trigo J, Subbiah V, Besse B, et al. Lurbinectedin as second-line treatment for patients with small-cell lung cancer: a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 basket trial. 

This episode of Lungcast features a discussion on emerging treatment approaches for SCLC.

Redefining Bronchiectasis Research and Management With First FDA Approval

 RX Review Special Report, Albert Rizzo, MD, and James Chalmers, MBChB, PhD, discuss how the August 2025 

 (marketed as Brinsupri), the first disease modifying therapy for bronchiectasis, may shift therapeutic goals in the field beyond exacerbation reduction and toward long-term preservation of pulmonary health.

Rizzo and Chalmers then discuss how trial endpoints in the field may evolve to focus on disease modification and slowing decline, and may include measures such as CT imaging and radiographic markers of airway damage, complementing traditional exacerbation rates and lung function outcomes.

Both experts reflect on the broader impact of this therapeutic advance. Chalmers anticipates increased recognition and diagnosis of bronchiectasis now that a targeted therapy is available, similar to the paradigm shift seen in interstitial lung disease after antifibrotic approvals. He stresses the need for collaboration across primary care, community pulmonology, and specialty centers to manage a condition that affects an estimated one million patients in the U.S. Importantly, he underscores that brensocatib should be viewed as one element of comprehensive care—alongside airway clearance, infection management, and evaluation of underlying causes—rather than a standalone solution.

"I think we're going to see a lot more attention to bronchiectasis. It's really been very much a Cinderella condition... and the availability of a new therapy, it gets people interested, it gives people a reason to diagnose it, because there's something powerful and effective that they can do about it," Chalmers said.

Part 1: Shifting Bronchiectasis Treatment Toward Disease Modification

Brensocatib Brings DPP1 Inhibition to the Bronchiectasis Field

Part 3: Understanding Brensocatib's Mechanism and Safety in Bronchiectasis

Part 4: Brensocatib's Place in Clinical Care of Bronchiectasis

Part 5: Redefining Bronchiectasis Research and Management With First FDA Approval

is a pulmonologist at ChristianaCare Pulmonary Associates at the ChristianaCare in Newark, Delaware, and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Medical School, Philadelphia. Triple board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, he also served as the former Chief Medical Officer of the American Lung Association.

is a Clinical Professor (Teaching and Research) of Respiratory Research, Respiratory Medicine and Gastroenterology, at  University of Dundee, United Kingdom, where he also serves as Asthma and Lung UK Chair of Respiratory Research. He was a primary investigator on Insmed's ASPEN trial of brensocatib.

Editor's note: Rizzo's disclosures include Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Genentech. Chalmer's disclosures include AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead, Grifols Biologicals, Insmed, Novartis, and Zambon.

Johnson V. FDA Approves First Bronchiectasis Therapy, Brensocatib, for Ages 12 and Up. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/fda-approves-first-bronchiectasis-therapy-brensocatib-12-up

In this video, the last in a 5-part series, panelists discuss their future outlook on bronchiectasis management.

Albert Rizzo, MD

Articles