Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41707654›Full record

ArticleCell reports. Medicine2026

DeCAF defines clinical fibroblast subtypes and multidimensional tumor-stroma crosstalk shaping prognosis and immunotherapy response.

Xianlu Laura Peng, Ian C McCabe, Elena V Kharitonova, Yi Xu, Ryan T Zhao, Changfei Luan, Joseph F Kearney, Nancy P Kren, Arthi Hariharan, Jaewon J Lee and 18 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports. Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

28 authors.

Xianlu Laura PengLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: laura.peng@med.unc.edu.
Ian C McCabeDepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Elena V KharitonovaDepartment of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Yi XuDepartment of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Ryan T ZhaoLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Changfei LuanLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Joseph F KearneyDepartment of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Nancy P KrenLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Arthi HariharanLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Jaewon J LeeDepartment of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Justin SuLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Priscilla S ChanLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Ashley B MorrisonLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Michelle E LaBellaDepartment of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Silvia G Herera LoezaLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Ashley CliffLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Hong Jin KimLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Yuliya Pylayeva-GuptaLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Susan TsaiDepartment of Surgery, Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Brian A BeltDepartment of Surgery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Roheena Z PanniDepartment of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
David C LinehanDepartment of Surgery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Shawn M GomezDepartment of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Jeffrey S DamrauerLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Alina C IugaDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
William Y KimLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: wykim@med.unc.edu.
Naim U RashidLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: nur2@email.unc.edu.
Jen Jen YehLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: jjyeh@med.unc.edu.

Funding

SToP Cancer SPORE: Developmental Research ProgramP50CA257911 · NCI · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Jen Jen Yeh · 2022 to 2026
$12.9M
UNC Integrated Translational Oncology Program (UNC-iTOP)T32CA244125 · NCI · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI WILLIAM Y. KIM, Jen Jen Yeh · 2019 to 2026
$3.9M
NCI NIH HHS P50 CA257911NCI NIH HHS T32 CA244125
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) studies have uncovered distinct cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) populations. While useful as a biological framework, no studies have conclusively defined CAF subtypes with clinical significance. We define restraining (rest) and promoting (pro) CAFs in patient samples that are both prognostic and predictive of therapy response in multiple tumor types. We uncover distinct clinical and spatial interactions between pro- and restCAF subtypes and basal-like and classical tumor subtypes that support tumor-stroma crosstalk. Finally, we find striking differences in the immune contexture of pro- and restCAF tumors where restCAF-dominant tumors are more responsive to immune checkpoint inhibition and proCAF-dominant tumors are more responsive to myeloid inhibition in clinical trials. This work defines CAF subtypes that are clinically robust, prognostic, and predictive of immunotherapy response and provides a single-sample classifier, determination of pro- and restCAF subtypes (DeCAF), which is clinically actionable.

Indexed as

Cancer-Associated FibroblastsImmunotherapyNeoplasmsFibroblastsGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansPrognosisStromal CellsTumor MicroenvironmentCAFCAF subtypecancer-associated fibroblastclassifierpancreatic cancerPDACspatial transcriptomicsTMEtumor microenvironmenttumor-stroma interaction

Identifiers

PMID41707654
PMCPMC12923980

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.