Profiling cancer cells during early metastasis identifies targetable subpopulations [cell line scRNA-seq]

Profiling tumors at single-cell resolution provides an opportunity to understand complexities underpinning lymph-node metastases in head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma. Single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) analysis of cancer-cell trajectories identifies a sub-population of pre-metastatic cells, driven by actionable pathways including AXL and AURK. Blocking these two proteins blunts tumor invasion in patient-derived cultures. This study demonstrates the importance of tumor heterogeneity analyses in identifying key vulnerabilities during early metastasis. Examining the primary and metastatic cell cultures derived from treatment-naïve patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC)