Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41454575›Full record

ArticleAnnals of medicine2026

Impact of stromal maturity and proportion on prognosis and immune landscape in colorectal cancer.

Vilja V Tapiainen, Päivi Sirniö, Henna Karjalainen, Ville K Äijälä, Meeri Kastinen, Vesa-Matti Pohjanen, Hanna Elomaa, Onni Sirkiä, Maarit Ahtiainen, Olli Helminen and 13 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of medicine, 2026. 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

23 authors.

Vilja V TapiainenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.ORCID 0009-0003-6306-6525
Päivi SirniöTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Henna KarjalainenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Ville K ÄijäläTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Meeri KastinenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Vesa-Matti PohjanenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Hanna ElomaaResearch Program in Systems Oncology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Onni SirkiäDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Maarit AhtiainenCentral Finland Biobank, Hospital Nova of Central Finland, Well Being Services County of Central Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Olli HelminenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Erkki-Ville WirtaDepartment of Gastroenterology and Alimentary Tract Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Outi LindgrenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Taneli T MattilaTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Jukka RintalaTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Sanna MeriläinenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Juha SaarnioTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Tero RautioTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Toni T SeppäläFaculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
Jan BöhmDepartment of Pathology, Hospital Nova of Central Finland, Well Being Services County of Central Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Jukka-Pekka MecklinDepartment of Education and Research, Well Being Services County of Central Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Anne TuomistoTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Markus J MäkinenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Juha P VäyrynenTranslational Medicine Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-8683-2996

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTumour microenvironment and cancer cells have constant interaction affecting cancer progression. Tumour-stroma ratio (TSR) in the tumour centre and desmoplastic reaction (DR) classification at the invasive margin are prognostic factors based on stroma evaluation on H&E slides. However, their combined value and immunological associations remain poorly defined. This study examines the prognostic and immunological value of TSR, DR, and their combination in two large colorectal cancer cohorts.

methodsTwo colorectal cancer cohorts (

resultsIn the study cohort (

conclusionsTSR and DR are independent prognostic factors for cancer-specific survival. SMAPS is a promising prognostic tool that integrates stromal maturity at the invasive margin and stromal proportion in the tumour centre. SMAPS has stronger prognostic value compared to TSR and DR classifications alone. A high stromal proportion and myxoid content are associated with an immunosuppressive microenvironment characterized by lower densities of antitumourigenic immune cells.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsStromal CellsTumor MicroenvironmentAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesFemaleHumansImmunohistochemistryMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisAlcian blue staincolorectal cancerdesmoplastic reactionimmune cellsSMAPSTumour-stroma ratio

Identifiers

PMID41454575
PMCPMC12777758

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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.