The spatial distribution and prognostic features of cell subtypes in primary hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Abstract Primary hepatocellular carcinoma is a highly malignant and invasive disease with insidious onset. With the development of single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, tumor heterogeneity and tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma have been deeply analyzed. However, the overall spatial distribution and prognostic characteristics of some tumor subgroups and stromal cell subgroups have not been fully described in detail. We combined single-cell sequencing, bulk RNA transcriptome sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics to describe in detail the spatial distribution characteristics of various cell types in primary hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as their relationship with prognosis. We found that the combination of different types of cell subgroups has a significant impact on patient survival. In addition, we also found that some cell subgroups have significant spatial distribution characteristics. These findings help us to understand the pathogenesis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma and potential clinical drug intervention targets more deeply.