Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42038026›Full record

ArticleJournal of Cancer2026

An integrated bulk and single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals stemness-driven immune regulation and therapeutic vulnerability in colorectal cancer.

I-Hung Chen, Kai-Fu Chang, Chien-Cheng Chao, Chung-Hsien Lin, Chih-Hsuan Chang, Ching-Chung Ko, Hui-Ru Lin, Chi-Jen Wu, Chien-Han Yuan, Sachin Kumar and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of Cancer, 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

17 authors.

I-Hung ChenDepartment of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General hospital, National Defense Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Kai-Fu ChangMedical Laboratory, Medical Education and Research Center, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Kaohsiung 80284, Taiwan.
Chien-Cheng ChaoMedical Laboratory, Medical Education and Research Center, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Kaohsiung 80284, Taiwan.
Chung-Hsien LinMedical Laboratory, Medical Education and Research Center, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Kaohsiung 80284, Taiwan.
Chih-Hsuan ChangMedical Laboratory, Medical Education and Research Center, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Kaohsiung 80284, Taiwan.
Ching-Chung KoDepartment of Medical Imaging, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, 710402, Taiwan.
Hui-Ru LinInstitute of Medical Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.
Chi-Jen WuNursing Department, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80284, Taiwan.
Chien-Han YuanInstitute of Medical Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.
Sachin KumarPhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
Dahlak Daniel SolomonPhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
Do Thi Minh XuanFaculty of Pharmacy, Van Lang University, 69/68 Dang Thuy Tram Street, Binh Loi Trung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, 70000, Vietnam.
Neethu PalekkodePhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
Ayman FathimaGraduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
Yung-Kuo LeeInstitute of Medical Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan.
Chung-Bao HsiehTaipei City Hospital Zhongxing Branch, Taipei City, 103212, Taiwan.
Yuen-Jung WuDepartment of Surgery, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, National Defense Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80284, Taiwan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tumor stemness is increasingly recognized as a key contributor to tumor heterogeneity, immune regulation, and therapeutic resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we developed a stemness-based risk model using bulk transcriptomic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and evaluated its prognostic and therapeutic relevance through integrative analyses. The proposed risk score robustly stratified patients into distinct prognostic groups and remained an independent predictor of overall survival after adjustment for clinicopathological variables. Stemness-high tumors exhibited altered immune infiltration patterns and coordinated upregulation of immune checkpoint-related genes. Although the association between stemness score and immune evasion potential was modest, its clinical relevance was supported by validation in independent immunotherapy-treated cohorts, where low-risk patients demonstrated improved survival and higher response rates. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis further revealed that enhanced stemness and dedifferentiation were predominantly localized within malignant epithelial cells. Together, these findings establish tumor stemness as a central determinant of prognosis, immune regulation, and therapeutic vulnerability in CRC.

Indexed as

colorectal cancerimmune microenvironmentimmunotherapyprognostic modelsingle-cell RNA sequencingtumor stemness

Identifiers

PMID42038026
PMCPMC13104719

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.