Building on these pioneering findings, the present study is novel in showing that the baseline levels of KL-6 in particular, and SPA, have a predictive role in patients with IPF who receive nintedanib treatment, not only for mortality and pulmonary function deterioration, but also for other clinically important outcomes like acute exacerbation and hepatic injury. Here, MUC1 is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.