Cancer-associated fibroblast heterogeneity and its role in reshaping immunotherapy in solid cancers: potential strategies and clinical promise

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are important components of the solid tumour microenvironment (TME). CAFs have long been regarded as major promoters of the malignant progression of tumours and are widely recognized for their strong secretory activity and direct effect on the malignant ability of tumour cells. Recently, studies have found extensive crosstalk between CAFs and tumour immunity. CAFs constitute a highly heterogeneous group, and continuous studies have shown that their subpopulations have unique functions and can be widely involved in tumour immune regulation and immunotherapy. However, the specific mechanisms still need to be further revealed. In this paper, we focused on the interactions between CAFs subpopulations and immune cells in the TME and summarized the interactions between CAFs and immune cells from multiple perspectives to provide new insights for antitumour immunotherapy in solid tumours.