The following is a summary of “Plasma cells: a feasible therapeutic target in pulmonary fibrosis?” published in the November 2022 issue of Respiratory by Goodwin et al.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a lung illness that, over the course of time, becomes progressively worse and ultimately results in death. The characteristic feature of this condition is the permanent and total replacement of normal lung parenchyma with brittle scar tissue. IPF has a very poor prognosis, with a median survival rate lower than that of many types of cancer at 2–3 years.
In addition, this illness is related to the increasing incidence and fatality rates all over the world. The survival rate for IPF is lower than that of many types of cancer at 2–3 years. There are only 2 drugs that are currently approved for use in the treatment of IPF. These medications are nintedanib and pirfenidone. This is still the case in spite of the fact that there has been a significant increase in the number of clinical trials conducted for IPF over the course of the previous 20 years. These antifibrotic medications are unable to improve the symptoms or functional status of patients; at best.
They can delay the progression of lung function loss; they cannot cure the condition. Therefore, research understanding the fundamental cellular and molecular pathways that are responsible for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an absolute necessity if researchers are going to find novel treatments for this terrible disease.
Source: erj.ersjournals.com/content/60/5/2201748
