Fig. 1

Five common pathways in lung cancer and IPF. These common signaling pathways in IPF and lung cancer are involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and migration. The TGF-β/Smad pathway is involved in ECM deposition and EMT processes in tissue fibrosis, whereas the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is associated with fibroblast differentiation and cancer metastasis and migration. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is associated with tissue invasion, while the Notch pathway mediates EMT in fibroblasts, promoting proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis in cancer cells. The Shh pathway promotes epithelial cell susceptibility to apoptosis and enhances fibroblast resistance to apoptosis