Dissecting the spatial heterogeneity of single circulating tumor cells in hepatocellular carcinoma

The dismal outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is closely associated with intra- and extrahepatic metastases, which has been proposed to be initiated by circulating tumor cells (CTCs). However, the plasticity of gene expression and immune evasion mechanisms of CTCs during systemic circulation are not well defined. Here, we determined intra- and inter-vascular transcriptional heterogeneity within the circulatory system using single-cell RNA-sequencing of 113 CTCs isolated from four key vascular sites along their dissemination route in ten HCC patients.