A recent study found that many α-SMA-positive CAFs in CRC arise from the proliferation of intestinal pericellular stromal cells (Lepr + cells), and Lepr is a well-established marker for perivascular mesenchymal cells, which support bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell maintenance (Kobayashi et al., 2022). Here, LEPR is linked to colorectal carcinoma.