Identification of cancer-associated fibroblast subtypes and prognostic model development in breast cancer: role of the RUNX1/SDC1 axis in promoting invasion and metastasis.

In this study, we identified cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) molecular subtypes and developed a CAF-based prognostic model for breast cancer (BRCA). The heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and their significant involvement in the advancement of BRCA were discovered employing single-cell RNA sequencing. Notably, we discovered that the RUNX1/SDC1 axis enhances BRCA cell invasion and metastasis. RUNX1 transcriptionally upregulates SDC1, which facilitates extracellular matrix remodeling and promotes tumor cell migration. This finding highlights the vital contribution of CAFs to the tumor microenvironment and provides new potential targets for therapeutic intervention. The predictive model showcased remarkable precision in anticipating patient outcomes and could guide personalized treatment strategies.