Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33654411›Full record

ArticleOncoTargets and therapy2021

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Positively Correlate with Dedifferentiation and Aggressiveness of Thyroid Cancer.

Shishuai Wen, Ning Qu, Ben Ma, Xiao Wang, Yi Luo, Weibo Xu, Hongyi Jiang, Yan Zhang, Yu Wang, Qinghai Ji

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in OncoTargets and therapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed
7.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed, 58 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Cancer-associated fibroblasts as a potential therapeutic target for thyroid cancers.International journal of surgery (London, England) · 2026
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  10. [European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Shishuai Wen *Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Ning Qu *Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Ben Ma *Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Xiao Wang *Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Yi Luo *Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-6877-9327
Weibo XuDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Hongyi JiangDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Yan ZhangDepartment of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Yu WangDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Qinghai JiDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesTargeting cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) is being explored as an approach to improve cancer therapies. The roles of CAF remain unclarified in malignant transformation of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) into dedifferentiated thyroid cancer (DDTC). This study aimed to investigate correlations of CAF with dedifferentiation and clinicopathological characteristics of thyroid cancer. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe applied three different mRNA-based CAF gene signatures to quantify CAF in our cohort, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohort and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort, and analyzed expression of α-SMA by immunohistochemistry in thyroid cancer. The CAF score was analyzed for its associations with clinicopathological characteristics, genetic mutations, tumor-associated signaling pathways and immune landscape.

resultsThe CAF score increased significantly in DDTCs compared with normal thyroid tissues and PTCs, and the α-SMA-positive CAFs were found enriched in DDTCs. The high CAF score showed a significant correlation with the anaplastic phenotype in DDTC and low thyroid differentiation score in PTC. Patients with a high CAF score remarkably increased the risk of aggressive outcomes in both DDTC and PTC. Furthermore, the CAF score was positively correlated with genetic mutations, oncogenic signaling pathways, the immune score and increased expression of tumor microenvironment (TME) target markers.

conclusionOur findings suggest CAFs positively correlate with dedifferentiation and aggressive outcomes of thyroid cancer, and targeting CAFs as a therapeutic approach may benefit DDTC patients.

Indexed as

CAFDDTCdedifferentiationPTC

Identifiers

PMID33654411
PMCPMC7910116
OpenAlexW3130025144

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.