Evidence mapPaperPMID 42588643Full record

ArticleCancers2026

CAF-Driven EMT and ECM Remodeling Programs Promote Mesothelioma Progression.

Licun Wu, Hana Yun, Hamed Yasavoli Sharahi, Fatemeh Zaeimi, Marc de Perrot

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 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

5 authors.

Licun WuLatner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
Hana YunLatner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
Hamed Yasavoli SharahiLatner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
Fatemeh ZaeimiLatner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.
Marc de PerrotLatner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-2000-9427

Funding

Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation CMF01012025University Health Network UHNF012024
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aggressive progression of mesothelioma is driven not only by intrinsic tumor cell plasticity but also by dynamic interactions between tumor cells and the surrounding stromal microenvironment; however, the mechanisms by which stromal populations regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), tumor evolution, and therapeutic resistance remain unclear.

methodsWe integrated longitudinal transcriptomic profiling with single-cell RNA sequencing in a murine intraperitoneal mesothelioma model spanning disease progression from week 0 to week 8 to identify stromal-EMT programs associated with tumor progression. In vitro fibroblast-tumor co-culture systems were used to assess how different fibroblast-to-tumor cell ratios influence transcriptional reprogramming and mesenchymal transition.

resultsSingle-cell analysis revealed marked stromal heterogeneity, identifying eight distinct cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subtypes: myCAF, mCAF, iCAF, TGF-βCAF, vCAF, plCAF, apCAF, and meCAF. These subsets showed specialized transcriptional programs associated with developmental signaling and metabolic adaptation. Functional analyses demonstrated coordinated intercellular communication across six interconnected modules, including mesenchymal transition, fibrotic remodeling, TGF-β/metabolic adaptation, adhesion signaling, WNT activation, and inflammatory crosstalk. Notably, mCAF, TGF-βCAF, and plCAF populations showed transcriptional convergence, suggesting cooperative formation of a desmoplastic, immunoregulatory niche. Co-culture experiments confirmed that fibroblast-derived signaling induces ratio-dependent transcriptional changes, promoting a shift from epithelioid to mesenchymal phenotypes.

conclusionsThese findings highlight stromal regulation of EMT as a key driver of mesothelioma progression, sarcomatoid transition, and therapy resistance, and identify tumor-stroma signaling networks as potential therapeutic targets.

Indexed as

cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF)epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelingmechanotransductionmesotheliomastromal–tumor interactionstumor microenvironment (TME)

Identifiers

PMID42588643
PMCPMC13464991

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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.