Spatial Analysis Dissects the Microenvironmental Architecture of Local Recurrence after Breast-Conserving Surgery.

Spatial colocalization of CD24+ tumor cells and BGN+ CAFs predicts breast cancer recurrence after BCS with high accuracy.

• Why it matters: Understanding the tumor microenvironment's spatial organization is crucial for predicting recurrence and improving targeted therapies in breast cancer patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery.
• What they did: Single-cell spatial transcriptomics was performed on 22 primary and recurrent breast cancer specimens, analyzing over 600,000 cells to map cellular neighborhoods and interactions.
• The result: The study identified a tumor-stromal region where CD24+ tumor cells intersect with BGN+ CAFs, serving as an independent prognostic biomarker and revealing potential mechanisms driving local recurrence.