Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41660621›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in immunology2025

IL-6/STAT3 signaling in prostate cancer: CAF-driven immune evasion and therapeutic opportunities.

Tao Zhou, Yuqi Li, Zhiyu Liu, Zhiqiang Zeng, Tao Li, Li Chen, Huan Zhao, Xiaochun Wu, Yuxuan Shen, Haitao Fan and 4 more

Erratum issuedAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Tao Zhou *Department of Urology, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Yuqi Li *Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Zhiyu Liu *Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Zhiqiang ZengDepartment of Urology, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Tao LiDepartment of Urology, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Li ChenNursing Department, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Huan ZhaoDepartment of Urology, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Xiaochun WuDepartment of Urology, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Yuxuan ShenNursing Department, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Haitao FanNursing Department, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Xiaoxiao ZhuNursing Department, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Yubo ZhouDepartment of Urology, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Lunhong ZouDepartment of Urology, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.
Dan ZhaoNursing Department, Santai Hospital Affiliated to North Sichuan Medical College, Mianyang, Sichuan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a pivotal regulatory role in prostate cancer progression, contributing to therapy resistance and reshaping of the tumor microenvironment. This review outlines the clinical relevance of IL-6 as a potential prognostic biomarker and describes its mechanistic involvement in the development of castration resistance, with emphasis on its interplay with distinct cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subtypes. Elevated serum IL-6 levels in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer are associated with poor responses to docetaxel, enzalutamide, or abiraterone, and correlate with worse prognosis. Mechanistically, IL-6 promotes neuroendocrine differentiation and sustains cell survival under therapeutic stress through activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and androgen receptor signaling pathways. Recent single-cell studies reveal that prostate CAFs are highly heterogeneous. Certain subtypes are linked to extracellular matrix remodeling and fibrosis, while others exhibit inflammatory or immune-modulatory characteristics, differentially influencing tumor evolution. Specific CAF subsets have been strongly implicated in promoting castration resistance and adverse outcomes. Therapeutic strategies targeting the IL-6/IL-6R axis-such as neutralizing antibodies, advanced chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T designs, and combination regimens-are under active investigation. Simultaneously, modulating CAF plasticity to convert tumor-promoting phenotypes into tumor-restraining ones represents a promising therapeutic avenue. A deeper understanding of IL-6 functions across CAF subtypes may unlock novel precision therapy opportunities for prostate cancer.

Indexed as

Cancer-Associated FibroblastsInterleukin-6Prostatic NeoplasmsSignal TransductionSTAT3 Transcription FactorTumor EscapeAnimalsHumansMaleProstatic Neoplasms, Castration-ResistantTumor MicroenvironmentIL6 protein, humanInterleukin-6STAT3 protein, humanSTAT3 Transcription Factorcancer-associated fibroblastsinterleukin-6prostate cancertherapeutic resistancetumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41660621
PMCPMC12873542

What Socratic 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 Socratic graph.