Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41131073›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote tumor progression in fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma.

Patrick Sipila, Son Tran, Chunfen Zhang, David Douglass, Anne-Marie Langevin, Aru Narendran

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

6 authors.

Patrick SipilaDepartment of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Son TranDepartment of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Chunfen ZhangDepartment of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
David DouglassDivision of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Anne-Marie LangevinDivision of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Aru NarendranDepartment of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. a.narendran@ucalgary.ca.

Funding

Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta 10024168Rein in Sarcoma 10044714
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In children, rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common tumor originating in soft connective tissue. The PAX3/PAX7-FOXO1 fusion-positive alveolar subtype has poor clinical outcomes, with frequent recurrence, metastasis, and low survival. Current therapies may be limited by the tumor microenvironment containing cancer, immune, and fibroblast cells. In cancer, cells that transform into cancer-associated fibroblasts support growth and other malignant properties of the tumor. To study the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts, we isolated cells from the lung metastases of a patient with rhabdomyosarcoma that are positive for fibroblast biomarkers. Compared to normal lung fibroblasts, these cancer-associated fibroblasts secreted distinct factors that specifically supported the growth and migration of fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma cells. The cancer-associated fibroblasts also promoted expression of immune checkpoints and conferred resistance to cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy commonly used to treat this disease. We further characterized the secretory phenotype of cytokines and growth factors produced by these cancer-associated fibroblasts and targeted CXCR4 expression inhibition, which induced cytotoxicity at increased sensitivity. This study establishes a model of cancer-associated fibroblasts from metastatic fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma. Altogether, our results describe tumor-promoting mechanisms of growth, migration, and treatment resistance supported by the tumor microenvironment, and offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma.

Indexed as

Cancer-Associated FibroblastsOncogene Proteins, FusionRhabdomyosarcomaCell Line, TumorCell MovementCell ProliferationCyclophosphamideDisease ProgressionDrug Resistance, NeoplasmFibroblastsHumansLung NeoplasmsReceptors, CXCR4Tumor MicroenvironmentCXCR4 protein, humanCyclophosphamideOncogene Proteins, FusionReceptors, CXCR4Cancer-associated fibroblastCXCR4Fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcomaPAX3-FOXO1Pediatric oncologyTumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41131073
PMCPMC12550101

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.