Dense GM-CSFR-expressing immune infiltration is allied with longer survival of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients.

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a cancer arising from intrahepatic bile duct epithelium. An iCCA incidence is increasing worldwide; however, the outcome of the disease is dismal. The linkage between chronic inflammation and iCCA progression is well established, but the roles of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) remain unrevealed.