Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41606069›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Molecular profiling of primary versus paired asynchronous metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma reveals heterogeneity in tumor immune microenvironment.

Brittney Cotta, Srinivas Nallandhighal, Steven Monda, Zayne Knuth, Daniel Triner, Yuping Zhang, Rui Wang, Fengyun Su, Amy Kasputis, Xuhong Cao and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 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. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Brittney CottaDepartment of Urology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Srinivas NallandhighalDepartment of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Steven MondaDepartment of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Zayne KnuthDepartment of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Daniel TrinerDepartment of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Yuping ZhangMichigan Center for Translational Pathology, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Rui WangMichigan Center for Translational Pathology, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Fengyun SuMichigan Center for Translational Pathology, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Amy KasputisDepartment of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Xuhong CaoMichigan Center for Translational Pathology, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Aaron UdagerMichigan Center for Translational Pathology, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Saravana M DhanasekaranMichigan Center for Translational Pathology, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Ganesh S PalapattuDepartment of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Rohit MehraUniversity of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, 1500 E Medical Center Dr, 7306, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-5948, USA.
Marcin P CieslikMichigan Center for Translational Pathology, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Todd M MorganDepartment of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Simpa S SalamiDepartment of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. simpa@med.umich.edu.

Funding

Advanced Training in Urologic OncologyT32CA180984 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI Ganesh S Palapattu, VAHAKN B SHAHINIAN · 2014 to 2026
$3.4M
NCI NIH HHS T32 CA180984
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) shows significant heterogeneity in primary clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). As TIME heterogeneity between primary and paired metastatic tumors of ccRCC is less understood, we characterized and compared the TIME of primary ccRCC with paired asynchronous metastases. We analyzed patients who developed ccRCC recurrence post radical nephrectomy and had both primary and metastatic treatment-naïve tissue available. Capture whole-transcriptome sequencing was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens using the Illumina platform. Differential gene expression (DGE) analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSE) was performed using R packages limma and fgsea respectively. TIME deconvolution was quantified using CIBERSORT, an in-silico flow cytometry tool. In aggregate, 42 tumor samples from 19 patients (19 primary tumors with 23 matched metastases) were analyzed. Metastatic sites included lung (n = 6), bone (n = 6), adrenal (n = 4), liver (n = 2), lymph node (n = 2), and soft tissue (n = 3). In unsupervised hierarchical clustering, primary tumors clustered together and not with their matched metastatic tumor. Of the immune cells assayed, primary tumors displayed greater Tregs than their matched (and unmatched) metastases (p < 0.001). Among metastatic sites, bone had high levels of EMT activity compared to their matched primary tumors and lung metastatic tumors were enriched in E2F targets. We demonstrate differences in pathway enrichment and immune cell populations in primary ccRCC and their matched metastases, including a higher infiltration of immunosuppressive T regulatory cells in the tumor immune microenvironment of primary ccRCC. Metastatic tumors not only differed from their paired primary tumors but also differed in gene expression, gene set enrichment, and immune cell composition between metastatic tissue sites.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Renal CellKidney NeoplasmsTumor MicroenvironmentAgedFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm MetastasisTranscriptomeKidney cancer metastasisOncologic outcomesSurvivalTumor immune microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41606069
PMCPMC12886982

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.