In CRC, a recent study showed that the expression of genes enriched in IL-11+ fibroblasts was correlated with reduced recurrence-free survival in patients, as IL-11+ fibroblasts activated both tumour cells and fibroblasts via secretion of IL-11; this phenomenon constituted a feed-forward loop between tumour cells and fibroblasts (Nishina et al. 2021). This evidence concerns the gene IL11 and colorectal carcinoma.