Modelling survival in cystic fibrosis.

The article focuses on cystic fibrosis. It introduces papers published in the October 1, 2001 issue of the journal "Thorax," which are related to prognosis or treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF) in the past two decades. The author states that the upward trend in the expected duration of life for patients with CF may have lost its momentum. The U.S. and Canadian national CF registries show estimated median survival age increasing to around 32 years in 1989 and 1996, respectively, but in subsequent years no further improvement is seen. Although the timing of a plateau in median survival age may differ, consistent patterns are seen in several other population-based studies.