The results showed that tumor cells in GBC samples were surrounded by an abundance of CAFs staining positive for α-SMA, while HSF1 was mostly expressed in gallbladder cancer cells and primarily translocated into cell nuclei, indicating a reactive stroma in GBC and that activated HSF1 signaling may exert an important role in CAFs recruitment (Fig. 7a). Here, TBX1 is linked to gallbladder cancer.