Podoplanin is an important stromal prognostic marker in perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) exhibit various phenotypes and serve an important role in tumor progression. However, research on podoplanin expression in CAFs is limited, and its role in the cholangiocarcinoma microenvironment remains unclear. The present study analyzed the clinical and pathological records of 42 patients diagnosed with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) in The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School (Nanjing, China). Immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of podoplanin in CAFs in order to determine its association with clinicopathological parameters and survival rate. Podoplanin expression in the CAFs was associated with the tumor-node-metastasis staging system, and lymph node metastasis in pCCA. Tumor tissue demonstrated an increase in lymphatic vessel density (LVD) compared with para-tumor tissue. Podoplanin expression in CAFs was associated with LVD in tumor and para-tumor tissues. To examine the effect of podoplanin expression in CAFs on tumor progression, CAFs were isolated from tumor xenografts. Following transfection with an expression plasmid encoding podoplanin, the migratory ability of CAFs was significantly increased. Therefore, CAF-associated podoplanin expression in pCCA may serve as a potential biomarker to evaluate prognosis and provide a valuable target for anticancer therapy.