Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40846797›Full record

ReviewCommunications biology2025

Identification of malignant cells in single-cell transcriptomics data.

Massimo Andreatta, Josep Garnica, Santiago Javier Carmona

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Communications biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Massimo AndreattaDepartment of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland. massimo.andreatta@unige.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8036-2647
Josep GarnicaDepartment of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9493-1321
Santiago Javier CarmonaDepartment of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Single-cell transcriptomics has significantly advanced our ability to uncover the cellular heterogeneity of tumors. A key challenge in single-cell transcriptomics is identifying cancer cells and, in particular, distinguishing them from non-malignant cells of the same cell lineage. Focusing on features that can be measured by single-cell transcriptomics, this review explores the molecular aberrations of cancer cells and their observable readouts at the RNA level. Identification of bona fide cancer cells typically relies on three main features, alone or in combination: i) expression of cell-of-origin marker genes; ii) inter-patient tumor heterogeneity; iii) inferred copy-number alterations. Depending on the cancer type, however, alternative or additional features may be necessary for accurate classification, such as single-nucleotide mutations, gene fusions, increased cell proliferation, and altered activation of signaling pathways. We summarize computational approaches commonly applied in single-cell analysis of tumoral samples, as well as less explored features that may aid the identification of malignant cells.

Indexed as

Gene Expression ProfilingNeoplasmsSingle-Cell AnalysisTranscriptomeBiomarkers, TumorComputational BiologyDNA Copy Number VariationsGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansBiomarkers, Tumor

Identifiers

PMID40846797
PMCPMC12373766

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.