Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, primarily due to diagnosis at advanced stages. Although low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening reduces lung cancer mortality in high-risk populations, current screening programmes are largely restricted to individuals defined by age and smoking history. This approach excludes never-smokers and individuals with non-smoking-related risk factors, limiting the equity, efficiency and scalability of lung cancer screening. The LUng Cancer risk factors and their Impact Assessment (LUCIA) project aims to overcome these limitations by developing personalised lung cancer risk prediction models and evaluating novel non-invasive technologies for early detection within a risk-adapted screening strategy.
LUCIA is a multicentre, observational, longitudinal cohort study that will recruit approximately 4000 participants across four European regions: Andalusia and the Basque Country (Spain), Liège (Belgium) and Riga (Latvia). The study population includes smokers, never-smokers and reduced smokers with low-to-moderate lung cancer risk. All participants will initially enter phase 1 (wide population screening) and may transition to phase 2 (precision screening) or phase 3 (diagnosis) based on LDCT findings, results from non-invasive screening devices and artificial intelligence-based risk prediction models. Participants will be followed up for 24 months, with assessments at baseline and at 6, 12 and 24 months. Data collection includes sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, environmental and occupational exposures, lifestyle factors, spirometry, multi-omics profiles and outputs from novel non-invasive devices, including a breath analyser, spectrometry-on-card and a skin-applied volatile organic compound sensing patch. The study will develop and validate integrated lung cancer risk prediction models and evaluate the diagnostic performance of these technologies to support population stratification and personalised screening.
The study will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, Good Clinical Practice guidelines and applicable national and European regulations. Ethical approval has been obtained from the relevant ethics committees in all participating countries. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed open-access publications, scientific conferences and communication with public health stakeholders.
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06473870.
Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) frequently require mechanical ventilation, with approximately half needing invasive ventilation through an orotracheal tube. For these patients, gastric tube (GT) insertion is routinely performed to administer nutrition and medications or to drain gastric contents. The insertion route (oral or nasal) may affect the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a significant ICU care complication. This study aims to compare the impact of oral versus nasal GT insertion on the incidence of VAP in intubated ICU patients.
The SONG trial (NCT 05915663) is a multicentre, open-label, two-period, two-intervention, cluster randomised crossover superiority trial. 16 French ICUs will participate. ICUs will be randomised to periods of nasogastric or orogastric tube placement. The trial includes a practice standardisation period, followed by two 12-month inclusion periods separated by a monitoring and washout period. The primary endpoint is the incidence rate of VAP at day 28, confirmed by three independent physicians. Secondary endpoints include the ease of GT insertion, measured by the number of attempts.
This study received approval from a central ethical review board on 12 April 2024 (CPP Sud-est VI, registration number 23.00943.000175). Patients are included after informed consent or, when not possible, from next of kin. If none are available, the investigator will proceed with emergency inclusion, following French law. When consent is initially obtained from the next of kin or through emergency inclusion, the investigator will seek consent from the patient as soon as possible. Data will be anonymised and patient confidentiality maintained. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific meetings.
Objetivo principal: Los profesionales sanitarios fueron los trabajadores más afectados por Covid-19, especialmente durante las primeras oleadas. El objetivo del estudio es evaluar la percepción del riesgo de exposición al Covid-19, información recibida y participación laboral entre enfermeros, médicos y auxiliares de enfermería. Metodología: Se realizó un estudio transversal mediante una encuesta epidemiológica entre enfermeras, médicos y auxiliares de enfermería de un hospital universitario. Se realizó una validación de aspecto y contenido, un pretest cognitivo y un pilotaje de la encuesta epidemiológica con treinta sujetos. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo utilizando media y desviación estándar (DE) para las variables cuantitativas y las frecuencias absolutas (n) y relativas (%) para variables cualitativas. Se aplicó el test chi-cuadrado y el test ANOVA para evaluar la asociación de las respuestas con las variables: sexo, tipo de trabajador, área de trabajo y actividad en Unidades Covid-19. Resultados principales: Las enfermeras, médicos y auxiliares de enfermería trabajaban principalmente en áreas asistenciales y en unidades de alto riesgo de exposición. Los auxiliares de enfermería y las enfermeras tenían una mayor percepción de riesgo. Las enfermeras estaban menos implicadas en la organización, pero se sentían más apoyadas por sus compañeros. Los médicos se sentían más apoyados por sus superiores y mejor atendidos cuando tenían problemas de salud. Conclusión principal: Las enfermeras y auxiliares de enfermería presentaron mayor percepción de riesgo, las enfermeras se implicaron menos en la organización de la atención sanitaria, mientras que los médicos se sintieron más apoyados por sus superiores.