Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40181447›Full record

ArticleGenome medicine2025

Cell-type-specific subtyping of epigenomes improves prognostic stratification of cancer.

Qi Luo, Andrew E Teschendorff

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Genome medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Qi LuoCAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai, 200031, China.
Andrew E TeschendorffCAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai, 200031, China. andrew@sinh.ac.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 32170652NSFC Research Fellowship for International Scientists (RFIS) W2431024
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMost molecular classifications of cancer are based on bulk-tissue profiles that measure an average over many distinct cell types. As such, cancer subtypes inferred from transcriptomic or epigenetic data are strongly influenced by cell-type composition and do not necessarily reflect subtypes defined by cell-type-specific cancer-associated alterations, which could lead to suboptimal cancer classifications.

methodsTo address this problem, we here propose the novel concept of cell-type-specific combinatorial clustering (CELTYC), which aims to group cancer samples by the molecular alterations they display in specific cell types. We illustrate this concept in the context of DNA methylation data of liver and kidney cancer, deriving in each case novel cancer subtypes and assessing their prognostic relevance against current state-of-the-art prognostic models.

resultsIn both liver and kidney cancer, we reveal improved cell-type-specific prognostic models, not discoverable using standard methods. In the case of kidney cancer, we show how combinatorial indexing of epithelial and immune-cell clusters define improved prognostic models driven by synergy of high mitotic age and altered cytokine signaling. We validate the improved prognostic models in independent datasets and identify underlying cytokine-immune-cell signatures driving poor outcome.

conclusionsIn summary, cell-type-specific combinatorial clustering is a valuable strategy to help dissect and improve current prognostic classifications of cancer in terms of the underlying cell-type-specific epigenetic and transcriptomic alterations.

Indexed as

Epigenesis, GeneticEpigenomeEpigenomicsKidney NeoplasmsLiver NeoplasmsNeoplasmsBiomarkers, TumorCluster AnalysisDNA MethylationHumansPrognosisBiomarkers, TumorCancerCell-type deconvolutionClinical outcomeClusteringDNA methylation

Identifiers

PMID40181447
PMCPMC11967111

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