Although well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC) is characterized by a robust treatment response, aggressive subtypes, such as anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), remain highly lethal. To understand thyroid cancer evolution in both children and adults, we analyzed single-cell transcriptomes of 423,733 cells from 81 samples and spatially resolved key tumor and microenvironment populations across 28 tumors with spatial transcriptomics, including rare and unique composite WDTC/ATC tumors and pediatric diffuse sclerosing thyroid carcinomas. Additionally, we identified gene signatures of stromal cell populations in 5 large thyroid cancer bulk RNA-sequencing cohorts. Through this multi-institutional effort, we defined a population of POSTN+ myofibroblast cancer-associated fibroblasts (myCAFs) that are intimately associated with invasive tumor cells and correlate with poor prognosis, lymph node metastasis, and disease progression in thyroid carcinoma. We also revealed a population of inflammatory CAFs that are distant to tumor cells and are found in the inflammatory stromal microenvironment of autoimmune thyroiditis. Together, our study provides spatial profiling of thyroid cancer evolution in samples with mixed WDTC/ATC histopathology and identifies a prognostic myCAF subtype with potential clinical utility in predicting aggressive disease in both children and adults.
Matthew A. Loberg, George J. Xu, Sheau-Chiann Chen, Hua-Chang Chen, Claudia C. Wahoski, Kailey P. Caroland, Megan L. Tigue, Heather A. Hartmann, Jean-Nicolas Gallant, Courtney J. Phifer, Andres A. Ocampo, Dayle K. Wang, Reilly G. Fankhauser, Kirti A. Karunakaran, Chia-Chin Wu, Maxime Tarabichi, Sophia M. Shaddy, James L. Netterville, Sarah L. Rohde, Carmen C. Solórzano, Lindsay A. Bischoff, Naira Baregamian, Barbara A. Murphy, Jennifer H. Choe, Jennifer R. Wang, Eric C. Huang, Quanhu Sheng, Luciane T. Kagohara, Elizabeth M. Jaffee, Ryan H. Belcher, Ken S. Lau, Fei Ye, Ethan Lee, Vivian L. Weiss
Usage data is cumulative from January 2026 through July 2026.
| Usage | JCI | PMC |
|---|---|---|
| Text version | 4,765 | 920 |
| 834 | 243 | |
| Figure | 2,682 | 0 |
| Supplemental data | 390 | 76 |
| Citation downloads | 217 | 0 |
| Totals | 8,888 | 1,239 |
| Total Views | 10,127 | |
Usage information is collected from two different sources: this site (JCI) and Pubmed Central (PMC). JCI information (compiled daily) shows human readership based on methods we employ to screen out robotic usage. PMC information (aggregated monthly) is also similarly screened of robotic usage.
Various methods are used to distinguish robotic usage. For example, Google automatically scans articles to add to its search index and identifies itself as robotic; other services might not clearly identify themselves as robotic, or they are new or unknown as robotic. Because this activity can be misinterpreted as human readership, data may be re-processed periodically to reflect an improved understanding of robotic activity. Because of these factors, readers should consider usage information illustrative but subject to change.