K: Is there a cure for pulmonary fibrosis?

Pulmonary fibrosis is a complex, heterogeneous condition within the more than 200 types of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), making each patient’s experience unique. While some cases caused by underlying conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, can improve if the cause is treated, most forms, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, can not be cured. In rare cases, lung transplantation may improve quality of life, but there is currently no universal cure.

 

🎥 Watch the Video: Is there a cure for pulmonary fibrosis?

 

Professor Porter discusses the following:

• Can you cure pulmonary fibrosis or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?
• What is personalised medicine?
• Is pulmonary fibrosis a heterogeneous disease?
• Can you reverse pulmonary fibrosis?
• Does lung transplantation cure pulmonary fibrosis?

 

Full Video Transcript

Oh, this is such a rich question because pulmonary fibrosis is a group of over 200 different diseases, and one of the problems we have is that the diseases are very heterogeneous, by which I mean they can appear very different in different individuals. And it really is an area where precision or personalised medicine comes into its own because every patient behaves differently. Every patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis behaves differently, so it is a very heterogeneous disease.

Can it be cured?  In some cases, when we know that the pulmonary fibrosis is caused by another underlying disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or drug induced – for example, if you’ve been taking Amiodarone for your heart and you develop pulmonary fibrosis – then, by treating the underlying disease, by treating the rheumatoid arthritis, or by stopping the toxic drug, by stopping the Amiodarone, we may be able to reverse and maybe even cure the pulmonary fibrosis, and you may not have another problem from it.

However, in the more severe cases, for example, in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in other of the progressive pulmonary fibroses, we may not be able to reverse the disease, we may only slow it down. And in these cases, we cannot cure pulmonary fibrosis.

One of the great sadnesses of this disease is that we do not have a cure for most cases of pulmonary fibrosis.

Now, in a very, very select few of younger patients who are otherwise very well, we can offer lung transplantation, which is the closest we get to a cure. However, as I’ve mentioned in other videos which you may have heard, with lung transplantation, I always warn patients it’s not a quick fix, it’s not like changing your batteries.  You don’t suddenly have a new set of lungs and you feel fantastic. What you’re doing is you’re switching one chronic lung disease for another. What we know is that most patients who have lung transplants do feel better, can do more, have a great improved quality of life, but they will still remain under hospital care for the rest of their lives, and they will still have to take drugs, many of which have toxic side effects.

So I would say, honestly, no, we can’t cure pulmonary fibrosis.

 

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Your support allows us to fund research into pulmonary fibrosis and other interstitial lung diseases.

Donate today to help improve the lives of those living with pulmonary fibrosis

 

 

 

[Video published December 2025]