Dataset related to article"Integrating single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to elucidate the crosstalk between cancer-associated fibroblasts and cancer cells in hepatocellular carcinoma with spleen-deficiency syndrome"

Most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in China have been diagnosed with spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS), which accelerates the progression of HCC by disrupting the tumor microenvironment (TME) homeostasis. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be explored. By integrating single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, we found that the crosstalk between CAFs and cancer cells is crucial for the tumor-promoting effect of SDS. CAFs recruited by HCC via PDGFA may lead to ECM remodeling through activation of the TGF-β pathway, thereby forming a physical barrier to block immune cell infiltration under SDS.