Clinical implications of single cell sequencing for bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is the 10th most common cancer worldwide, with about 0.5 million reported new cases and about 0.2 million deaths per year. In this scoping review, we summarize the current evidence regarding the clinical implications of single-cell sequencing for bladder cancer based on PRISMA guidelines. We searched PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, and supplemented with manual searches through the Scopus, and Web of Science for published studies until February 2023. We included original studies that used at least one single-cell technology to study bladder cancer. Forty-one publications were included in the review. Twenty-nine studies showed that this technology can identify cell subtypes in the tumor microenvironment that may predict prognosis or response to immune checkpoint inhibition therapy. Two studies were able to diagnose BC by identifying neoplastic cells through single-cell sequencing urine samples. The remaining studies were mainly a preclinical exploration of tumor microenvironment at single cell level. Single-cell sequencing technology can discriminate heterogeneity in bladder tumor cells and determine the key molecular properties that can lead to the discovery of novel perspectives on cancer management. This nascent tool can advance the early diagnosis, prognosis judgment, and targeted therapy of bladder cancer.