Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41331516›Full record

ReviewNature reviews. Cancer2026

A guide to transcriptomic deconvolution in cancer.

Yaoyi Dai, Shuai Guo, Yidan Pan, Carla Castignani, Matthew D Montierth, Peter Van Loo, Wenyi Wang

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Nature reviews. Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing 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

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Editorial: Challenges and opportunities in tumor metabolomics.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2026
    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.

Yaoyi DaiDepartment of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1908-2539
Shuai GuoDepartment of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Yidan PanDepartment of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9702-8530
Carla CastignaniThe Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
Matthew D MontierthDepartment of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Peter Van Loo *Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. pvanloo@mdanderson.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0292-1949
Wenyi Wang *Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. wwang7@mdanderson.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0617-9438

Funding

Statistical methods for genomic analysis of heterogeneous tumorsR01CA268380 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Wenyi Wang · 2022 to 2026
$2.4M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA268380
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cancer tissues are heterogeneous mixtures of tumour, stromal and immune cells, where each component comprises multiple distinct cell types and/or states. Mapping this heterogeneity and understanding the unique contributions of each cell type to the tumour transcriptome is crucial for advancing cancer biology, yet high-throughput expression profiles from tumour tissues only represent combined signals from all cellular sources. Computational deconvolution of these mixed signals has emerged as a powerful approach to dissect both cellular composition and cell-type-specific expression patterns. Here, we provide a comprehensive guide to transcriptomic deconvolution, specifically tailored for cancer researchers, presenting a systematic framework for selecting and applying deconvolution methods, considering the unique complexities of tumour tissues, data availability and method assumptions. We detail 43 deconvolution methods and outline how different approaches serve distinctive applications in cancer research: from understanding tumour-immune surveillance to identifying cancer subtypes, discovering prognostic biomarkers and characterizing spatial tumour architecture. By examining the capabilities and limitations of these methods, we highlight emerging trends and future directions, particularly in addressing tumour cell plasticity and dynamic cell states.

Indexed as

Gene Expression ProfilingNeoplasmsTranscriptomeBiomarkers, TumorComputational BiologyGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansTumor MicroenvironmentBiomarkers, Tumor

Identifiers

PMID41331516
PMCPMC7618897

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.