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Other - Skin cancer
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Patrizia Fuschiotti
University of Pittsburgh
Alyxzandria Gaydosik
University PIttsburgh
Tracy Tabib
University Pittsburgh
Larisa Geskin
Columbia University
James Conway
University of Pittsburgh
Robert Lafyatis
University Pittsburgh
The heterogeneity of tumor cells presents a major challenge to cancer diagnosis and therapy. Cutaneous T cell lymphomas (CTCL) are a group of T lymphocyte malignanciesthat primarily affect skin. Lack of highly specific markers for malignant lymphocytes prevents early diagnosis, while only limited treatment options are available for patients with advanced-stage CTCL.Using single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis we profiled the transcriptomes of malignant and reactive T lymphocytes in advanced-stage CTCL skin tumors to identify specific markers for diagnosis and cure of CTCL.Single-cell transcriptional profiles displayed intra- and inter-tumor lymphocyte heterogeneity but also a common gene expression signature among several advanced-stage CTCL skin tumors, likely identifying highly proliferating malignant lymphocytes. Analysis of tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes revealed heterogeneity in effector and exhaustion programs across patient samples. Thus, our single-cell analyses of CTCL skin tumor samples provide new insight into disease pathogenesis and progression by showing patient-specific landscapes of malignant and reactive lymphocytes within the local microenvironment of each tumor, thus opening avenues for tailoring therapy to specific patients.