Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41991241›Full record

ArticleJournal for immunotherapy of cancer2026

Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics reveal that the CXCL12-CXCR4 axis drives the immune-desert phenotype in small cell lung cancer by recruiting immunosuppressive CXCR4

Peng Zeng, Hai-Feng Li, Wen-Bin Shu, Jing Zhang, Tian-Cheng Zhao, Jun-Wen Hu, Jun-Fu Wang, Cheng Wang, Qing-Yun Lu, Jia-Hui Yang and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. The Five-Decade Journey of Small Cell Lung Cancer.Cancer communications (London, England) · 2026
    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

12 authors.

Peng Zeng *Department of Oncology, Southeast University Zhongda Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1606-7528
Hai-Feng Li *Department of Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgery, Southeast University Zhongda Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Wen-Bin Shu *Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Nanchang University Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Jing Zhang *Southeast University School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Tian-Cheng Zhao *University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Jun-Wen HuDepartment of Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgery, Nanchang University Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Jun-Fu WangDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Cheng WangSoutheast University School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Qing-Yun LuSoutheast University School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Jia-Hui YangSoutheast University School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Yan-Li AnJiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Southeast University Zhongda Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Rong ChenDepartment of Radiotherapy, Southeast University Zhongda Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 123abctb@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-0162-3269

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSmall cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a recalcitrant malignancy with limited responses to immunotherapy, largely due to its uniquely immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the molecular mechanisms driving this phenotype remain incompletely understood.

methodsWe integrated single-cell RNA sequencing and Xenium in situ spatial transcriptomics to analyze the immune microenvironment of five SCLC and four non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples. Multiplex immunofluorescence was used to validate cell types and gene expression in the same tissue specimens, and animal models were employed to verify the key mechanistic pathway.

resultsSCLC displayed a distinct immune landscape compared with NSCLC, with increased infiltration of C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)

conclusionsThe CXCL12-CXCR4 axis, together with immunosuppressive CXCR4

Indexed as

Calgranulin AChemokine CXCL12Lung NeoplasmsMonocytesNeutrophilsReceptors, CXCR4Small Cell Lung CarcinomaAnimalsFemaleHumansMicePhenotypeSingle-Cell AnalysisSpatial TranscriptomicsTumor MicroenvironmentCalgranulin AChemokine CXCL12CXCL12 protein, humanCXCR4 protein, humanReceptors, CXCR4S100A8 protein, humanImmunosuppressionImmunotherapyLung CancerMonocyteNeutrophil

Identifiers

PMID41991241
PMCPMC13110684

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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.