Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41585142›Full record

ArticleJournal of dental sciences2026

Tumor microenvironment-derived IL-32 promotes aggressive phenotypes and stem cell traits in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Nien-Tzu Liu, Shin-Hsien Yang, Yi-Ming Chang, Jian-Hong Yu, Su-Feng Chen, Yaoh-Shiang Lin, Yu-Chun Lin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of dental sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Nien-Tzu LiuGraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shin-Hsien YangGraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yi-Ming ChangInstitute of Pathology and Parasitology, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jian-Hong YuOrthodontics, Department of Dentistry, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Su-Feng ChenSchool of Dentistry, College of Dentistry, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Yaoh-Shiang LinDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Yu-Chun LinGraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background/purpose: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive malignancy distinguished by marked invasiveness, a high metastatic propensity, and poor prognosis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within the tumour microenvironment secrete numerous mediators that accelerate tumour progression; however, the precise contribution of CAF-derived interleukin-32 (IL-32) remains unclear. This study examined the influence of CAF-derived IL-32 on invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cancer-stem-cell (CSC) traits in HNSCC. Materials and methods: Primary CAFs and normal fibroblasts (NFs) were isolated from HNSCC specimens. IL-32 expression was quantified by microarray analysis, quantitative PCR, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Migration and invasion of FaDu and SCC25 cells were assessed with Transwell assays after exposure to CAF-conditioned medium or recombinant IL-32. EMT markers were evaluated by Western blotting, whereas sphere-formation assays and flow cytometry for CD133 Results: IL-32 was significantly up-regulated in CAFs compared with NFs. Both CAF-conditioned medium and recombinant IL-32 markedly increased the migratory and invasive capacities of HNSCC cells. These treatments reduced E-cadherin and increased Vimentin, Snail, and Twist expression, while enhancing sphere formation and expanding CD24 Conclusion: CAFs promote HNSCC progression through IL-32-mediated enhancement of invasion, EMT induction, and CSC properties. Targeting IL-32 signalling may represent a promising therapeutic approach to improve outcomes in HNSCC.

Indexed as

Cancer-associated fibroblastsCancer stem cellsEpithelial–mesenchymal transitionHead and neck squamous cell carcinomaInterleukin-32

Identifiers

PMID41585142
PMCPMC12826013

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.