CDK8 and renal carcinoma: While our observations affirm that dual inhibition of TNKS1 and CDK8 by TCS9725 involves STAT1, β-catenin, and TGF-β1-smad2/3 cross-talk in controlling renal cancer cells, we acknowledge that a key limitation of this study is the absence of in vivo validation to confirm the therapeutic potential of TCS9725 in a physiological context.