{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,12]],"date-time":"2026-08-12T07:32:24Z","timestamp":1786519944901,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Korean Society of Occupational & Environmental Medicine","funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100021813","name":"WorkSafe Victoria","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100021813","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["aoemj.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Ann Occup Environ Med"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: There has been a resurgence of silicosis, particularly related to artificial stone. There are currently no treatments for silicosis beyond lung transplantation for end-stage disease. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of prednisolone in people with artificial stone-associated silicosis\u2013progressive massive fibrosis (PMF).Methods: This was a pilot prospective observational clinical trial, assessing 3 months of prednisolone in adults with artificial stone\u2013associated silicosis with PMF. Outcomes were assessed at 3 and 12 months.Results: Seven participants completed the study. Baseline positron emission tomography (PET) scans demonstrated increased fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake in areas of PMF in all participants. All participants had a significant reduction in maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) following prednisolone at 3 months (pre-treatment mean SUVmax 6.7 [standard deviation (SD): 2.6], post-treatment mean SUVmax 4.2 [SD: 1.0], p = 0.012). There was also a non-significant reduction in the % of total lung parenchyma with SUV &gt;1 (49.7% [SD: 36.4] to 45.8% [SD: 28.4], p = 0.527) and a significant reduction in SUV &gt;2.5 (7.0% [SD: 6.3] to 2.4% [SD: 2.2], p = 0.038). There was a non-significant reduction in computed tomography ICOERD well-defined opacity profusion scores and large opacities. There was no significant difference in lung function or St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire. There were no serious adverse events.Conclusions: There are high levels of inflammation in silicosis-PMF as evidenced by 18F-FDG PET. Short-term prednisolone reduced 18F-FDG PET activity. This suggests a possible therapeutic pathway for people with silicosis-associated PMF in a population with no current treatments. Further research is required to determine the most appropriate immunosuppressive strategy and further assess longer-term outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.35371\/aoem.2026.38.e16","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,12]],"date-time":"2026-08-12T07:15:15Z","timestamp":1786518915000},"page":"e16","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.35371\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Evaluating the efficacy of prednisolone for silicosis with progressive massive fibrosis in Australia: an observational pilot study"],"prefix":"10.35371","volume":"38","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7615-4191","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hayley","family":"Barnes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9424-0659","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"David P.","family":"Nadebaum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4805-023X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Daniel","family":"Niewodowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7376-9553","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"J. 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