Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35130111›Full record

ArticleCancer biology & therapy2022

The Anti-fibrosis drug Pirfenidone modifies the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and prevents the progression of renal cell carcinoma by inhibiting tumor autocrine TGF-β.

Gang Wang, Xiaowan Zhou, Zengli Guo, Nan Huang, Juan Li, Yanfang Lv, Lulu Han, Wei Zheng, Dandan Xu, Dafei Chai and 3 more

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

Article in Cancer biology & therapy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 9% 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

28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Current Status of Research on Losartan in Tumour Therapy.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2026
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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

13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Gang WangCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.ORCID 0000-0001-6020-7263
Xiaowan ZhouCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Zengli GuoCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Nan HuangCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Juan LiCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Yanfang LvCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Lulu HanCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Wei ZhengCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Dandan XuCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Dafei ChaiCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Huizhong LiCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Liantao LiCancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Junnian ZhengCenter of Clinical Oncology, the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.
Xuzhou Medical College · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays a critical role in regulating cell growth and differentiation. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by TGF-β promotes cancer cell migration, invasion, and proliferation. Pirfenidone (5-methyl-1-phenyl-2(1 H)-pyridone, PFD), an approved drug for treating pulmonary and renal fibrosis, is a potent TGF-β inhibitor and found reduced incidence of lung cancer and alleviated renal function decline. However, whether PFD plays a role in controlling renal cancer progression is largely unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated that high TGF-β1 expression was negatively associated with ten-year overall survival of patients with renal cancer. Functionally, blockade of TGF-β signaling with PFD significantly suppressed the progression of renal cancer in a murine model. Mechanistically, we revealed that PFD significantly decreased the expression and secretion of TGF-β both in vitro and in vivo tumor mouse model, which further prevented TGF-β-induced EMT and thus cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Importantly, the downregulation of TGF-β upon PFD treatment shaped the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by limiting the recruitment of tumor-infiltrating MDSCs. Therefore, our study demonstrated that PFD prevents renal cancer progression by inhibiting TGF-β production of cancer cells and downstream signaling pathway, which might be presented as a therapeutic adjuvant for renal cancer.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Renal CellKidney NeoplasmsAnimalsEpithelial-Mesenchymal TransitionFemaleFibrosisHumansMaleMicePyridonesTransforming Growth Factor betaTransforming Growth Factor beta1Tumor MicroenvironmentpirfenidonePyridonesTransforming Growth Factor betaTransforming Growth Factor beta1epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitionmyeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC)Pirfenidonerenal cell carcinomaTGF-βtumor microenvironment (TME)

Identifiers

PMID35130111
PMCPMC8824226
OpenAlexW4210624383

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.