Pathogenic similarities between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and cancer
| Genetic alterations | Tumour suppressor gene mutationsTelomere shortening |
| Epigenetic alterations | Hypermethylation of the Thy-1 promoter region |
| Uncontrolled proliferation | Self-sufficiency in growth signalsInsensitivity to growth inhibitory signalsEvasion of apoptosisAltered cell-to-cell communications |
| Tissue invasion | Myofibroblasts recruitment and differentiationMyofibroblast infiltrative abilityExpression invasive molecules |
| Signal transduction pathways | Activation Wnt/β-catenin pathwayActivation phosphoinositide 3-kinase/ phosphatase and tensin homologue-AKT pathway |