5-FU	5-fluorouracil
αSMA	alpha smooth muscle actin
ACSL3	acyl-CoA synthetases 3
ACVR2A	activin A receptor type 2A
AKT	protein kinase B
APC	adenomatous polyposis coli
aPKC-ι	atypical protein kinase C-ι
ASE	allele-specific expression
ASS1	argininosuccinate synthase 1
AT1a	angiotensin II subtype receptor 1a
BMP	bone morphogenetic protein
CAFs	cancer-associated fibroblasts
CCBE1	collagen and calcium-binding EGF domain-1
CEA	Carcinoembryonic antigen
CMS	consensus molecular subtype
Co-SMAD	common-mediator SMAD
CRC	colorectal cancer
CRLM	colorectal liver metastases
CSCs	cancer stem cells
Cten	C-terminal tensin-like
CTHRC1	collagen triple helix repeat containing 1
CXCL12	C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12
CXCR4	C-X-C motif chemokine receptor type 4
DCs	dendritic cells
ECM	extracellular matrix
EESB	ethanol extract of Scutellaria barbata D. Don
EGFR	epidermal growth factor receptor
EMT	epithelial-mesenchymal transition
EO	early onset
FFPE	formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded
Foxp3	forkhead box protein 3
GDF	growth and differentiation factor
GPC1	Glypicans 1
GREM1	gremlin 1
HAPLN1	hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein-1
hCGβ	beta human chorionic gonadotropin
HLTF	helicase-like transcription factor
IL-11	interleukin-11
INHBA	inhibin, beta A
INHBB	inhibin subunit beta B
ISLR	immunoglobulin superfamily containing leucine-rich repeat
I-SMAD	inhibitory SMAD
KEGG	Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes
lncRNA-ATB	lncRNA-activated by TGF-β
lncRNA EZR-AS1	lncRNA ezrin antisense RNA 1
lncRNAs	long non-coding RNAs
MAPK	mitogen-activated protein kinase
mCRC	metastatic colorectal cancer
MiR	microRMA
MMPs	matrix metalloproteinases
MSD	Modified Shenlingbaizhu Decoction
MSI	microsatellite instability
NEP	neutral endopeptidase
NF-κB	nuclear factor-κB
NGS	next-generation sequencing
OS	overall survival
PARG	poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase
PDGF-D	platelet-derived growth factor-D
PD-L1	programmed cell death-Ligand 1
PFS	progression-free survival
P4HA3	prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha 3
PI3K	phosphoinositide 3-kinase
PNMA5	Paraneoplastic antigen Ma family number 5
PODXL	podocalyxin-like
QFG	Qingjie Fuzheng granule
RGC-32	response gene to complement 32
ROCK	Rho-associated kinase
R-SMAD	receptor-regulated SMAD
RUNX	runt related transcription factor
SDF-1	stromal cell derived factor-1
SNP	single nucleotide polymorphism
STAT3	signal transducer and activator of transcription 3
TAK1	TGF-β-activated kinase 1
TAMs	tumor-associated macrophages
TANs	tumor-associated neutrophils
TCGA	The Cancer Genome Atlas
TGF-β	transforming growth factor-β
TGFBI	TGF-β-induced protein ig-h3
TH1	type 1 T-helper cell
Th17	T helper 17
THBS4	thrombospondin-4
THSD4	thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing protein 4
TME	tumor microenvironment
TMEM45A	transmembrane protein 45A
TRAIL	tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand
Tregs	regulatory T cells
TRIM25	tripartite motif containing 25
Trp53	transformation related protein 53
TSIPs	tumor spheres with inverted polarity
TSP1	thrombospondin 1
VEGF	vascular endothelial growth factor