IL6 and cancer: However, a recent publication by Öhlund et al.23 compared cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to quiescent pancreatic stellate cells, identifying an inflammatory phenotype termed iCAFs (co-cultured in Transwells with cytokine-secreting tumor organoids and expressing high and low levels of IL6 and SMA, respectively [IL6highα-SMAlow]) and a contractile myofibroblastic phenotype, myCAFs (IL6lowα-SMAhigh, cultured in dense monolayers).