Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41087442›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals cellular evolution underlying pleomorphic adenoma recurrence and malignant transformation.

Yike Li, Zhixuan Li, Guile Zhao, Qi Han, Zhangfan Ding, Cheng Wang, Chunjie Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
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

7 authors.

Yike Li *State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Zhixuan Li *State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Guile ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Qi HanState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Oral Pathology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, .14, Section 3Rd, Renmin Nan Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
Zhangfan DingState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Cheng WangHospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510055, Guangdong, China. wangch75@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Chunjie LiState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. lichunjie07@qq.com.

Funding

West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University LCYJ2023-DL-1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA), the most common benign salivary gland tumor, harbors unpredictable risks of recurrence and malignant transformation into carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma (CXPA), posing significant clinical challenges. To better delineate the tumor transformation trajectory, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of normal salivary gland, primary PA, recurrent PA (rPA), and CXPA. Cell trajectory reconstruction, differential expression gene identification, and key gene network analysis were integrated to characterize molecular transitions and intercellular crosstalk driving PA recurrence and malignant transformation. Immunohistochemistry was used to validate key findings. GALNT13 + myoepithelial cells were identified as CXPA-specific malignant progenitors, delineating early malignant conversion. Concurrently, MIF + myoepithelial cells exhibited enhanced tissue-destructive capabilities. Fibroblasts enforced fibrotic restraint in primary PA and drove extracellular matrix degradation in CXPA. The tumor microenvironment exhibited stage-specific adaptations, with CXPA favoring pro-inflammatory MIF-CD74/CD44 signaling and rPA adopting immunosuppressive traits. Stromal reprogramming and immune-editing dynamics collectively orchestrated microenvironmental adaptation, linking cellular heterogeneity to clinical aggressiveness. This study provides the first comprehensive molecular atlas of PA-to-CXPA transformation, revealing malignant specialization of the myoepithelial subpopulation, fibroblast-mediated stromal reprogramming, and immune-editing driven microenvironmental adaptation. These findings provide a framework for precision stratification of the malignant potential of PA, while positioning microenvironmental intervention as a cornerstone of future clinical strategies.

Indexed as

Adenoma, PleomorphicCell Transformation, NeoplasticNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalSalivary Gland NeoplasmsSingle-Cell AnalysisTranscriptomeFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMaleTumor MicroenvironmentMalignant transformationMyoepithelial cellsPleomorphic adenomaRecurrenceSingle-cell RNA sequencingTumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41087442
PMCPMC12521576

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.