Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 28, 2026; 32(44): 121025
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.121025
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.121025
FSCN1/ACK1 axis-dependent M2 macrophage polarization fuels colorectal cancer progression
Zhu Wang, Hao Liu, Yong Jiang, Yan Ma, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, China
Chao Liu, Department of Laser Cosmetic Clinic, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Zhu Wang and Chao Liu.
Author contributions: Wang Z and Liu C have made equal contributions, including study design, data collection and analysis, and manuscript preparation as co-first authors; Liu H and Jiang Y designed the experiments and conducted clinical data collection, performed postoperative follow-up and recorded the data; Wang Z, Liu C and Ma Y conducted the collation and statistical analysis, and wrote the original manuscript and revised the paper; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: No AI tools were used in writing, editing, or generating any part of this manuscript, including text, images, and data analysis.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: The study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, No. HSRF2025-072.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
Corresponding author: Yan Ma, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, No. 324 Jingwu Weiqi Road, Huaiyin District, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, China.
Received: May 12, 2026
Revised: June 11, 2026
Accepted: July 29, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 140 Days and 17.5 Hours
Revised: June 11, 2026
Accepted: July 29, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 140 Days and 17.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study reveals that fascin actin-bundling protein-1 (FSCN1) promotes colorectal cancer progression by driving M2 macrophage polarization via activated Cdc42-associated kinase 1. FSCN1 knockdown reprograms macrophages toward an anti-tumor M1 phenotype and suppresses tumor growth, identifying the FSCN1/activated Cdc42-associated kinase 1 axis as a therapeutic target for restoring anti-tumor immunity.