The DOI matches its Crossref record; 69 of the 74 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Fibroblast Heterogeneity and Immunosuppressive Environment in Human Breast Cancer
Open accessAbstract
Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are key players in the tumor microenvironment. Here, we characterize four CAF subsets in breast cancer with distinct properties and levels of activation. Two myofibroblastic subsets (CAF-S1, CAF-S4) accumulate differentially in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). CAF-S1 fibroblasts promote an immunosuppressive environment through a multi-step mechanism. By secreting CXCL12, CAF-S1 attracts CD4+CD25+ T lymphocytes and retains them by OX40L, PD-L2, and JAM2. Moreover, CAF-S1 increases T lymphocyte survival and promotes their differentiation into CD25 High FOXP3 High, through B7H3, CD73, and DPP4. Finally, in contrast to CAF-S4, CAF-S1 enhances the regulatory T cell capacity to inhibit T effector proliferation. These data are consistent with FOXP3+ T lymphocyte accumulation in CAF-S1-enriched TNBC and show how a CAF subset contributes to immunosuppression.
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“Interestingly, CD276 (B7-H3), known to augment Tregs and inhibit T cell responses (Costa et al., 2018, Prasad et al., 2004, Suh et al., 2003), was expressed most prominently on CAFs and TSKs.”
From Multimodal Analysis of Composition and Spatial Architecture in Human Squamous Cell Carcinoma (2020) · cites this paper as Costa et al., 2018
In the citing paper
“FAP-high fibroblasts are correlated with Treg cell-mediated immunosuppression and a poor outcome119”
From A framework for advancing our understanding of cancer-associated fibroblasts (2020) · cites this paper as [119]
In the citing paper
“Clinical analysis further supports an inverse association between CAFs and CD8+ T cells119.”
From A framework for advancing our understanding of cancer-associated fibroblasts (2020) · cites this paper as [119]
In the citing paper
“Breast cancer also shows divergent CAF phenotypes, with the primary discriminating marker being FAP.”
From A framework for advancing our understanding of cancer-associated fibroblasts (2020) · cites this paper as [119]
In the citing paper
“Additionally, they can help define the immunosuppressive environment, through effects on immune cell activation and impeding infiltration of immune cells into tumors227–231.”
From TGFβ biology in cancer progression and immunotherapy (2021) · cites this paper as [227]
In the citing paper
“Stromal fibroblasts are a major source of TGF-β in the TME40,227.”
From TGFβ biology in cancer progression and immunotherapy (2021) · cites this paper as [227]
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“CAFs secrete many cytokines that have direct effects on adaptive immunity and immunosuppressive effects have been reported in in vitro (15), genetically engineered (23), and syngeneic tumor mouse models such as the 4T1 mouse model (24, 25).”
BackgroundFuture of immune checkpoint inhibitors: focus on tumor immune microenvironment
Jia, Y., Liu, L., & Shan, B. (2020) · Annals of Translational Medicine · doi:10.21037/atm-20-3735 · Cited by 43
“, CXCL1, CXCL12 and CCL2) which are necessary to attract and retain suppressive immune cells into the TIME (87).”
BackgroundSenescence and Immunoregulation in the Tumor Microenvironment
Ruhland, M. K., & Alspach, E. (2021) · Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.754069 · Cited by 45
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“8–10 It is believed that these stromal cells may share dissimilar fibroblastic patterns in different cancers and cancer stages, 4,11–13 while some markers of CAFs are known to affect many aspects of HCC progression.”
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“In aggressive BCs such as TNBC, the high abundance of CAFs associated with the aggressiveness of adenocarcinoma [5,6], disease recurrence [6–8], drug resistance [9,10] and lack of immune response [5,11].”
BackgroundZhang, D., Song, Y., Li, D., Liu, X., Pan, Y., Ding, L., Shi, G., Wang, Y., Ni, Y., & Hou, Y. (2021) · Molecular Oncology · doi:10.1002/1878-0261.12935 · Cited by 42
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Min, K., Kim, D., Noh, Y., Son, B. K., Kwon, M. J., & Moon, J. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-96344-1 · Cited by 42
Role of the tumor immune microenvironment in tumor immunotherapy (Review)
Zhou, C., Liu, Q., Xiang, Y., Gou, X., & Li, W. (2021) · Oncology Letters · doi:10.3892/ol.2021.13171 · Cited by 42
“Carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are among the most important immune cells in TIME, which attract and mobilize immunocytes with inhibitory function through the release of cytokines, such as IL‐6 and TGF‐β, as well as chemokines, such as C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)1, CXCL12 and C‐C motif chemokine ligand…”
BackgroundThe Origins of Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Cancer
Lenz, G., Onzi, G. R., Lenz, L. S., Buss, J. H., dos Santos, J. A., & Begnini, K. R. (2021) · Cancer Research · doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-1940 · Cited by 39
“The presence of specific CAFs subtypes in the TME promotes the attraction and longer retention of Tregs, which lead to their increased survival and differentiation (87), which makes CAF subsets and its heterogeneity key players in cancer immunosurveillance and immunosuppression.”
BackgroundNandi, A., Debnath, R., Nayak, A., To, T. K. J., Thacker, G., Reilly, M., Gumber, S., Karagounis, I. V., Li, N., Lengner, C. J., et al. (2022) · Cancer Research · doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-1225 · Cited by 43
A review concerning the breast cancer-related tumour microenvironment
Rodríguez-Bejarano, O. H., Parra-López, C., & Patarroyo, M. A. (2024) · Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology · doi:10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104389 · Cited by 47
Breast cancer resistance mechanisms: challenges to immunotherapy
Hanna, A., & Balko, J. M. (2021) · Breast Cancer Research and Treatment · doi:10.1007/s10549-021-06337-x · Cited by 45
Collagen XI Alpha 1 Chain, a Novel Therapeutic Target for Cancer Treatment
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DNAzyme‐Assisted Nano‐Herb Delivery System for Multiple Tumor Immune Activation
Du, S., Chen, C., Qu, S., Song, H., Yang, J., Li, Y., Liu, K., Lu, Q., Luo, W., Wang, R., et al. (2022) · Small · doi:10.1002/smll.202203942 · Cited by 41
Perspectives on Hypoxia Signaling in Tumor Stroma
Zhang, Y., Coleman, M., & Brekken, R. A. (2021) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers13123070 · Cited by 39
Deciphering Tumor Niches: Lessons From Solid and Hematological Malignancies
Mancini, S. J. C., Balabanian, K., Corre, I., Gavard, J., Lazennec, G., Bousse‐Kerdilès, M. L., Louache, F., Maguer‐Satta, V., Mazure, N. M., Mechta‐Grigoriou, F., et al. (2021) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.766275 · Cited by 41
“of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, in particular types 1, 3 and 6 collagen, and by a perivascular contractile gene signature (34, 35, 37).”
BackgroundImmunomodulatory effect of locoregional therapy in the tumor microenvironment
Xie, L., & Meng, Z. (2023) · Molecular Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.01.017 · Cited by 41
Zhang, H., Chen, L., Zhao, Y., Luo, N., Shi, J., Xu, S., Ma, L., Wang, M., Gu, M., Mu, C., et al. (2023) · Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.ajps.2023.100796 · Cited by 40
In Vitro 3D Spheroid Model Preserves Tumor Microenvironment of Hot and Cold Breast Cancer Subtypes
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A Quick Guide to CAF Subtypes in Pancreatic Cancer
Brichkina, A. I., Polo, P., Sharma, S. D., Visestamkul, N., & Lauth, M. (2023) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers15092614 · Cited by 45
Role of Glucose Metabolic Reprogramming in Breast Cancer Progression and Drug Resistance
Lei, P., Wang, W., Sheldon, M., Sun, Y., Yao, F., & Ma, L. (2023) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers15133390 · Cited by 45
Targeting Cancer‐Associated Fibroblasts: Eliminate or Reprogram?
Yamazaki, M., & Ishimoto, T. (2025) · Cancer Science · doi:10.1111/cas.16443 · Cited by 40
“Moreover, atypical subpopulations of CAFs, such as ECM-producing CAFs with low αSMA expression [9, 10] and CXCL12-secreting CAFs with high αSMA expression [11], have been identified.”
Ben‐Shmuel, A., Gruper, Y., Halperin, C., Levi-Galibov, O., Rosenberg-Fogler, H., Barki, D., Carradori, G., Stein, Y., Yagel, G., Naumova, M., et al. (2025) · Cancer Discovery · doi:10.1158/2159-8290.cd-24-0131 · Cited by 50
Pawar, J. S., Salam, M. A., Dipto, M. S. U., Al-Amin, M. Y., Salam, M. T., Sengupta, S., Kumari, S., Gujjari, L., & Yadagiri, G. (2025) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers17152484 · Cited by 43
“In a concurrent study of six CAF markers, viz., α -SMA, FAP, FSP-1, CD29, PDGFR-β , and CAV-1 ( caveolin-1 ), four distinct CAF subpopulations, viz., CAF-S1, S2, S3, and S4, were found in human breast and ovarian cancers with distinct expression profiles (Figure 2) [64,65].”
Yan, X., Xie, Y., Yang, F., Hua, Y., Zeng, T., Sun, C., Yang, M., Huang, X., Wu, H., Fu, Z., et al. (2021) · Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research · doi:10.1186/s13046-021-01949-z · Cited by 41
“They are characterized by perivascular markers including MCAM (CD146), CAV1, RGS5, MYH11 and TAGLN (SM-22-Alpha), and several CAFrelated markers like ACTA2 (⍺-SMA), PDGFRB, THY1 (CD90), S100A4 (FSP-1) and ITGB1 (CD29) [38, 63, 64].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialEstrogen/ER in anti-tumor immunity regulation to tumor cell and tumor microenvironment
Wang, T., Jin, J., Qian, C., Lou, J., Lin, J., Xu, A., Xia, K., Jin, L., Liu, B., Tao, H., et al. (2021) · Cancer Cell International · doi:10.1186/s12935-021-02003-w · Cited by 47
“By the expression of B7H3, CD73, and DPP4, CAFs maintain the differentiation of Treg and enhance the inhibition T cell proliferation [112].”
BackgroundMagagna, I., Gourdin, N., Kieffer, Y., Licaj, M., Mhaidly, R., André, P., Morel, A., Vincent‐Salomon, A., Paturel, C., & Mechta‐Grigoriou, F. (2021) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers13235878 · Cited by 40
Fibrous stroma: Driver and passenger in cancer development
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Therapy sculpts the complex interplay between cancer and the immune system during tumour evolution
Thol, K., Pawlik, P., & McGranahan, N. (2022) · Genome Medicine · doi:10.1186/s13073-022-01138-3 · Cited by 47
The Interplay between T Cells and Cancer: The Basis of Immunotherapy
Chen, C., Liu, X., Chang, C., Wang, H. Y., & Wang, R. (2023) · Genes · doi:10.3390/genes14051008 · Cited by 42
The role of cancer-associated fibroblasts in breast cancer metastasis
Li, Y., Wang, C., Huang, T. H., Yu, X., & Tian, B. (2023) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2023.1194835 · Cited by 39
“characterized four CAF subsets, CAFS1, S2, S3, and S4, using multicolor flow cytometry (fluorescenceactivated cell sorting) and found that the CAF-S1 subset had a key role in the immunosuppressive milieu of breast cancer (93).”
BackgroundMei, J., Cai, Y., Zhu, H., Jiang, Y., Fu, Z., Xu, J., Chen, L., Yang, K. G., Zhao, J., Song, C., et al. (2024) · npj Breast Cancer · doi:10.1038/s41523-024-00618-6 · Cited by 40
“B7-H3 expression on a subset of cancer-associated fi broblasts in breast cancer has been reported to contribute to T cell skewing toward regulatory functions 42 .”
Hou, W. (2025) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2025.1602452 · Cited by 41
“Recently, LRRC15 serves as a de fi nitive marker for a terminally differentiated myoCAF subset that orchestrates immune-excluded TMEs (60).”
InfluentialShi, W., Zhang, Z., Xu, X., Tian, Y., Feng, L., Huang, X., Du, Y., & Li, Z. (2025) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2025.1649468 · Cited by 45
Alame, M., Cornillot, E., Cacheux, V., Tosato, G., Four, M., Oliveira, L. D., Gofflot, S., Delvenne, P., Turtoi, E., Cabello‐Aguilar, S., et al. (2020) · Theranostics · doi:10.7150/thno.42986 · Cited by 39
“17 subsequent interaction, this results in an enhanced capability to inhibit the proliferation of effector T cells (46).”
BackgroundShen, L., He, M., Shen, N., Yousefi, N., Wang, C., & Liu, G. (2020) · Biomedical Signal Processing and Control · doi:10.1016/j.bspc.2020.101953 · Cited by 39
Intrahepatic TH17/TReg Cells in Homeostasis and Disease—It’s All About the Balance
Drescher, H. K., Bartsch, L. M., Weiskirchen, S., & Weiskirchen, R. (2020) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.588436 · Cited by 40
Minimal Residual Disease, Metastasis and Immunity
Badia-Ramentol, J., Linares, J., Gómez‐Llonín, A., & Calon, A. (2021) · Biomolecules · doi:10.3390/biom11020130 · Cited by 39
Artificial intelligence and digital pathology: Opportunities and implications for immuno-oncology
Sobhani, F., Robinson, R., Hamidinekoo, A., Roxanis, I., Somaiah, N., & Yuan, Y. (2021) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on Cancer · doi:10.1016/j.bbcan.2021.188520 · Cited by 41
“Using a combination of flow cytometry and spatial histology assessment, studies in both breast and pancreatic cancer independently identified specific immunosuppressive fibroblast subsets that localize to the boundary of tumour nests [35].”
BackgroundFibroblast-derived prolargin is a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma
Chiavarina, B., Ronca, R., Otaka, Y., Sutton, R. B., Rezzola, S., Yokobori, T., Chiodelli, P., Souche, F.-R., Pourquier, D., Maraver, A., et al. (2022) · Oncogene · doi:10.1038/s41388-021-02171-z · Cited by 39
“[22] have shown the existence of four CAF subtypes in breast cancer and Li et al.”
BackgroundUncovering mediators of collagen degradation in the tumor microenvironment
Thorseth, M., Carretta, M., Jensen, C., Mølgaard, K., Jürgensen, H. J., Engelholm, L. H., Behrendt, N., Willumsen, N., & Madsen, D. H. (2022) · Matrix Biology Plus · doi:10.1016/j.mbplus.2022.100101 · Cited by 41
“Markers commonly used to detect CAFs include a-smooth muscle actin (aSMA), fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP-1), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)–a and -b and FAP [47,48].”
BackgroundMeng, Q., Luo, X., Chen, J., Wang, D., Chen, E., Zhang, W., Zhang, G., Zhou, W., Xu, J., & Song, Z. (2020) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Reviews on Cancer · doi:10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188443 · Cited by 38
Vienot, A., Pallandre, J., Renaude, E., Viot, J., Bouard, A., Spehner, L., Kroemer, M., Abdeljaoued, S., van der Woning, B., de Haard, H., et al. (2022) · OncoImmunology · doi:10.1080/2162402x.2022.2144669 · Cited by 39
“Several studies unraveled the presence of different CAF subsets in the cancer-associated stroma.(15,16) Notably, the presence of the myCAF subset was reported in tumors resistant to chemotherapy or immunotherapy.”
BackgroundMethodNaito, Y., Yoshioka, Y., & Ochiya, T. (2022) · Cancer Cell International · doi:10.1186/s12935-022-02784-8 · Cited by 40
Dual Role of Fibroblasts Educated by Tumour in Cancer Behavior and Therapeutic Perspectives
Toledo, B., Picon‐Ruiz, M., Marchal, J. A., & Perán, M. (2022) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms232415576 · Cited by 41
“Additionally, it was able to prolong T-cell life and trigger their differentiation into regulatory lymphocytes with the CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ phenotype [69].”
BackgroundDeciphering the complexities of cancer cell immune evasion: Mechanisms and therapeutic implications
Gupta, I., Hussein, O., Sastry, K. S., Bougarn, S., Gopinath, N., Chin-Smith, E. C., Sinha, Y., Korashy, H. M., & Maccalli, C. (2023) · Advances in Cancer Biology - Metastasis · doi:10.1016/j.adcanc.2023.100107 · Cited by 39
Cai, Z., Chen, L., Chen, S., Fang, R., Chen, X., & Lei, W. (2023) · Cell Communication and Signaling · doi:10.1186/s12964-023-01312-z · Cited by 41
Milosevic, V., & Östman, A. (2024) · Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences · doi:10.48101/ujms.v129.10710 · Cited by 38
“…cells showed higher attractive capability towards Treg cell phenotypes, through secretion of CXCL12 and that they are capable of direct interaction with Tregs, retaining them on their surface using specific membrane proteins (OX40 ligand (OX40L), PD-L2 or junctional adhesion molecule (JAM2) (80).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialHuang, Z., Chen, J., Zhu, T., Li, J., Ng, H. Y., Zhou, Y., Gu, X., Xu, S., & Jia, R. (2025) · Molecular Cancer · doi:10.1186/s12943-025-02533-1 · Cited by 49
“…carcinoma, the CAFs-S1 subset secretes CXCL12 to attract CD4 ⁺ T cells and induce their conversion into CD25 High FOXP3 High regulatory T cells, weakening effector T-cell function [141]. apCAFs similarly convert naïve CD4 ⁺ T cells into Tregs, facilitating pancreatic cancer immune escape [47].”
The function and potential drug targets of tumour-associated Tregs for cancer immunotherapy
Yan, S., Zhang, Y., & Sun, B. (2019) · Science China Life Sciences · doi:10.1007/s11427-018-9428-9 · Cited by 37
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“One in four women develops breast cancer throughout their lives (Costa et al., 2018).”
BackgroundRitchie, S., Reed, D. A., Pereira, B., & Timpson, P. (2021) · Faculty Reviews · doi:10.12703/r/10-4 · Cited by 40
Remodeling of Stromal Cells and Immune Landscape in Microenvironment During Tumor Progression
Arora, L., & Pal, D. (2021) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2021.596798 · Cited by 39
“lymphocytes into CD25+FOXP3+ cells, characterized by cell adhesion, ECM organization, and immune response (33)”
BackgroundSkin cancer detection using Kernel Fuzzy C-means and Developed Red Fox Optimization algorithm
Fu, Z., An, J., Yang, Q., Yuan, H., Sun, Y., & Ebrahimian, H. (2021) · Biomedical Signal Processing and Control · doi:10.1016/j.bspc.2021.103160 · Cited by 38
Preclinical platforms to study therapeutic efficacy of human γδ T cells
Ou, L., Wang, H., Huang, H., Zhou, Z., Lin, Q., Guo, Y., Mitchell, T. C., Huang, A. C. C., Karakousis, G. C., Schuchter, L. M., et al. (2022) · Clinical and Translational Medicine · doi:10.1002/ctm2.814 · Cited by 36
Eskandari-Malayeri, F., & Rezaei, M. (2022) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.996145 · Cited by 38
“So CAF-S1 by expression of PD-L2 could be a source of resistance to immunotherapy strategies that target PD-L1 (83).”
BackgroundChakravarthy, A., Reddin, I. G., Henderson, S. R., Dong, C., Kirkwood, N. K., Jeyakumar, M., Rothschild-Rodriguez, D., Gonzalez-Martinez, N., McDermott, J. R., Su, X., et al. (2022) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-022-33544-x · Cited by 40
Exploiting E3 ubiquitin ligases to reeducate the tumor microenvironment for cancer therapy
Li, X.-M., Zhao, Z., Xiao, Y., Xia, Q., Zhou, P., Wang, S., Wu, H., & Hu, J. (2023) · Experimental Hematology and Oncology · doi:10.1186/s40164-023-00394-2 · Cited by 40
“By secreting various cytokines, such as CXCL12, and expressing specific surface molecules, CAFs participate in the recruitment, accumulation and maturation of Treg cells, thus inhibiting T effector responses [67].”
BackgroundTaralli, S., Lorusso, M., Perrone, E., Perotti, G., Zagaria, L., & Calcagni, M. L. (2023) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers15030908 · Cited by 37
“Finally, there is a general agreement on the negative prognostic role of CAFs in various solid tumors (including BC), with high FAP expression associated with a more aggressive tumor behavior, disease progression and treatment resistance [2,11,51,55,56].”
BackgroundTajaldini, M., Poorkhani, A., Amiriani, T., Amiriani, A., Javid, H., Aref, P., Ahmadi, F., Sadani, S., & Khori, V. (2023) · European Journal of Pharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175991 · Cited by 38
Freag, M. S., Mohammed, M. T., Kulkarni, A., Emam, H. E., Maremanda, K. P., & Elzoghby, A. O. (2024) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adk3074 · Cited by 37
“Moreover, CAFs, via secreting CXCL12 and other cytokines, stimulate the intratumoral infiltration of the immunosuppressive T regs and M2 tumor-associated macrophages ( 55 , 56 ).”
BackgroundMeng, X., Liu, Z., Deng, L., Yang, Y., Zhu, Y., Sun, X., Hao, Y., He, Y., & Fu, J. (2024) · Advanced Science · doi:10.1002/advs.202401269 · Cited by 39
Li, X., Liu, Y., Tang, Y., & Xia, Z. (2024) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2024.1474688 · Cited by 46
“CAFs are the most prominent stromal components (295).”
BackgroundMicroenvironment signaling driving lymphomagenesis
Verdière, L., Mourcin, F., & Tarte, K. (2018) · Current Opinion in Hematology · doi:10.1097/moh.0000000000000440 · Cited by 38
The actin modulator hMENA regulates GAS6‐AXL axis and pro‐tumor cancer/stromal cell cooperation
Melchionna, R., Spada, S., Modugno, F. D., D’Andrea, D., Carlo, A. D., Panetta, M., Mileo, A. M., Sperduti, I., Antoniani, B., Gallo, E., et al. (2020) · EMBO Reports · doi:10.15252/embr.202050078 · Cited by 36
“The recent identification of different CAF subtypes (Costa et al , 2018; Cremasco et al , 2018; Su et al , 2018) calls for the identification of the main players able to convert normal fibroblasts into pro-tumor CAFs and of the molecules used by CAFs to communicate with tumor cells promoting tumor…”
Mostafavi, S., Zalpoor, H., & Hassan, Z. M. (2022) · Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters · doi:10.1186/s11658-022-00356-2 · Cited by 41
“Due to the fact that they promote an immunosuppressive TME, CAFs are a serious obstacle to efficacious cancer immunotherapy [6].”
BackgroundInfluentialShinohara, S., Takahashi, Y., Komuro, H., Matsui, T., Sugita, Y., Demachi‐Okamura, A., Muraoka, D., Takahara, H., Nakada, T., Sakakura, N., et al. (2022) · Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer · doi:10.1136/jitc-2021-003765 · Cited by 35
Bad Neighborhood: Fibrotic Stroma as a New Player in Melanoma Resistance to Targeted Therapies
Diazzi, S., Tartare‐Deckert, S., & Deckert, M. (2020) · Cancers · doi:10.3390/cancers12061364 · Cited by 44
“The interrelation between fibrosis and cancer has been established for several kind of malignancies, including breast [6,7], pancreatic [8], and lung [9,10] cancers, as well as melanoma [11].”
BackgroundVathiotis, I. A., Moutafi, M. K., Divakar, P., Aung, T. N., Qing, T., Fernandez, A., Yaghoobi, V., El-Abed, S., Wang, Y., Guillaume, S., et al. (2021) · Clinical Cancer Research · doi:10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-2103 · Cited by 36
“On the basis of the levels of expression of six surface markers, Costa and colleagues identified four CAF subsets that accumulated differentially in breast cancer subtypes and normal juxta-tumors; HER2positive breast cancer was enriched in CAF-S4 subset, which stained positive for a-SMA (31).”
BackgroundThe ABCs of Antigen Presentation by Stromal Non-Professional Antigen-Presenting Cells
Harryvan, T. J., de Lange, S., Hawinkels, L. J. A. C., & Verdegaal, E. M. E. (2021) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms23010137 · Cited by 39
Yang, M., Li, D., Jiang, Z., Li, C., Ji, S., Sun, J. P., Chang, Y., Ruan, S., Wang, Z., Liang, R., et al. (2022) · Molecular Cancer Research · doi:10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-21-0924 · Cited by 35
Mito, I., Takahashi, H., Kawabata‐Iwakawa, R., Horikawa, M., Ida, S., Tada, H., Matsuyama, T., Misawa, K., Takeda, S., & Chikamatsu, K. (2022) · Oral Oncology · doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2022.106270 · Cited by 36
Update on triple‐negative breast cancers – highlighting subtyping update and treatment implication
Tsang, J. Y., & Tse, G. M.-K. (2022) · Histopathology · doi:10.1111/his.14784 · Cited by 36
“cancers.(109) CAF abundance was found to be associated with the immune-excluded phenotype and insensitivity to ICB in a mouse breast cancer model.”
BackgroundWessolly, M., Mairinger, E., Borchert, S., Bánkfalvi, Á., Mach, P., Schmid, K. W., Kimmig, R., Buderath, P., & Mairinger, F. D. (2022) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.798680 · Cited by 34
“FAP and ACTA2 (26, 27) are distinctive markers of a myofibroblast subtype, Cancerassociated fibroblasts (CAFs), which can reorganize the extracellular matrix to the tumors benefit or promote tumorsupportive inflammation (28, 29).”
BackgroundInfluentialCrosstalk between fibroblasts and T cells in immune networks
Lee, B., Lee, S., & Shin, K. (2023) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.1103823 · Cited by 39
“Treg cells into the TME via CCL5 or CXCL12, thus increasing the frequency of these cells (24, 25).”
BackgroundGonzález‐Callejo, P., Gener, P., Díaz‐Riascos, Z. V., Conti, S., Cámara‐Sánchez, P., Riera, R., Mancilla, S., García‐Gabilondo, M., Peg, V., Arango, D., et al. (2023) · International Journal of Cancer · doi:10.1002/ijc.34447 · Cited by 36
“Our results concur with recent studies highlighting CAFs heterogeneity among different tumor types.(13,30,31) Single-cell analysis of TNBC stroma clustered CAFs into these two main, myCAFs and iCAFs, groups albeit significant intragroup heterogeneity.”
BackgroundResultMinini, M., & Fouassier, L. (2023) · Current Oncology · doi:10.3390/curroncol30040319 · Cited by 38
“Indeed, CAFs communicate with tumor-infiltrating immune cells to drive an immunosuppressive microenvironment [6,8,32].”
BackgroundInfluentialThe Application of Nanoparticles Targeting Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts
Huang, Q., Ge, Y., He, Y. T., Wu, J., Tong, Y., Shang, H., Liu, X., Ba, X., Xia, D., Peng, E., et al. (2024) · International Journal of Nanomedicine · doi:10.2147/ijn.s447350 · Cited by 35
Transcriptome Landscape of Cancer‐Associated Fibroblasts in Human PDAC
Tao, M., Liu, W., Chen, J., Liu, R., Zou, J., Yu, B., Wang, C., Huang, M., Chen, Q., Zhang, Z., et al. (2025) · Advanced Science · doi:10.1002/advs.202415196 · Cited by 50
Fibroblast atlas: Shared and specific cell types across tissues
Liu, K., Cui, Y., Han, H., Guo, E., Shi, X., Xiong, K., Zhang, N., Zhai, S., Sang, S., Liu, M., et al. (2025) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.ado0173 · Cited by 41
Lee, H., & Al‐Ogaili, Z. (2025) · Oncology Reviews · doi:10.3389/or.2025.1617487 · Cited by 40
Haro, M., & Oršulić, S. (2018) · Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology · doi:10.3389/fcell.2018.00098 · Cited by 35
Cao, H., Cheng, H. S., Wang, J. K., Tan, N. S., & Tay, C. Y. (2021) · Acta Biomaterialia · doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2021.03.037 · Cited by 35
Soongsathitanon, J., Jamjuntra, P., Sumransub, N., Yangngam, S., la Fuente, M. D., Landskron, G., Thuwajit, P., Hermoso, M. A., & Thuwajit, C. (2021) · Journal of Immunology Research · doi:10.1155/2021/8840066 · Cited by 39
“High CXCL12/SDF-1 level is seen in metastatic lymph nodes and CXCR4 upregulation in cancer cell lines exposed to pDC conditioned media.”
BackgroundInfluentialChen, L., Huang, H., Zheng, X. W., Li, Y., Chen, J., Tan, B., Liu, Y., Sun, R., Xu, B., Yang, M., et al. (2022) · Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer · doi:10.1136/jitc-2022-004585 · Cited by 38
Zheng, D., Zhou, J., Qian, L., Liu, X., Chang, C., Tang, S., Zhang, H., & Zhou, S. (2022) · Bioactive Materials · doi:10.1016/j.bioactmat.2022.10.025 · Cited by 35
“was defined as FAPnegative, α-SMAhigh, CD29high, FSP1Low− Med, FDGFR-βLow-Med, and CAV1Neg-Low [3].”
BackgroundInfluentialPark, S., Karalis, J. D., Hong, C., Clemenceau, J. R. V., Porembka, M. R., Kim, I.-H., Lee, S. H., Wang, S. C., Cheong, J., & Hwang, T. H. (2022) · Clinical Cancer Research · doi:10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-22-1897 · Cited by 35
Development of a CAFs-related gene signature to predict survival and drug response in bladder cancer
Zhang, Z., Liang, Z.-J., Li, D., Wang, L.-P., Chen, Y., Liang, Y., Jiao, W., & Niu, H. (2022) · Human Cell · doi:10.1007/s13577-022-00673-w · Cited by 22
Zhao, Y., Mei, S., Huang, Y., Chen, J., Zhang, X., & Zhang, P. (2022) · Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal · doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2022.11.025 · Cited by 34
“morigenic processes such as chemoresistance, cancer stem cell renewal, tumor cell invasion, and immune cell polarization, are mediated by CAFs [10,12,13].”
BackgroundStouten, I., van Montfoort, N., & Hawinkels, L. J. A. C. (2023) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms24108707 · Cited by 35
Zhang, X., Zhu, R., Yu, D., Wang, J., Yan, Y., & Xu, K. (2023) · Cell Proliferation · doi:10.1111/cpr.13592 · Cited by 35
Liu, M., Bao, C., Liang, X., Ji, X.-Y., Zhao, L., Yao, A.-N., Guo, S., Duan, J., Zhao, M., & Duan, J. (2024) · International Journal of Biological Macromolecules · doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129674 · Cited by 34
Metadata
- Authors
- Costa, A., Kieffer, Y., Scholer-Dahirel, A., Pelon, F., Bourachot, B., Cardon, M., Sirven, P., Magagna, I., Fuhrmann, L., Bernard, C., Bonneau, C., Kondratova, M., Kuperstein, I., Zinovyev, A., Givel, A.-M., Parrini, M.-C., Soumelis, V., Vincent-Salomon, A., & Mechta-Grigoriou, F.
- Affiliations
- Inserm (FR)
- Institut Curie (FR)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Cancer Cell
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-03
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 463-479.e10
- ISSN
- 1535-6108 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2786031287
- Cited by
- 1,705
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 165 · 2025: 202 · 2024: 264 · 2023: 255 · 2022: 236 · 2021: 262 · 2020: 173 · 2019: 99 · 2018: 47
- FWCI
- 54.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Cancer Cell (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Fondation de France
- Fondation Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
- Institut National Du Cancer (INCa-DGOS-9963)
- Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale
- SiRIC-Curie program (INCa-DGOS-4654)
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
- Institut Curie
- Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer
- ICGex (ANR-10-EQPX-03)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immune cells in cancer
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › TGF-β signaling in diseases
- Keywords
- cancer-associated fibroblasts, breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, tumor microenvironment, immunosuppression, regulatory T cells, CXCL12, OX40L, PD-L2, JAM2, B7-H3, CD73, dipeptidyl peptidase IV, Foxp3, CD4+ T cells, T cell survival, fibroblast heterogeneity
- MeSH terms
- Breast Neoplasms, Cell Differentiation, Fibroblasts, Humans, Immune Tolerance, Lymphocyte Activation, Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating, Cell Proliferation, T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory, Forkhead Transcription Factors, Tumor Microenvironment
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