Topics and Trends in Most Cited Cancer Cells and Metastasis Papers

Ranked by citations 18 months after publication

Class of 2026 (Papers Published in 2024)

What topics and trends defined most-cited Cancer Cells and Metastasis research in the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 in metastasis research is defined by the explosive growth of spatial transcriptomics and deep profiling of the tumor microenvironment. Subpopulation dynamics—particularly regarding cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor-associated macrophages—are driving new mechanistic insights into how spatial cellular interactions fuel cancer spread.

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Updated September 14, 2026

At a glance

Field
Cancer Cells and Metastasis
Cohort label
Class of 2026 (2024 publications)
Papers analyzed
5,847
Papers ranked
20
Top topics in ranked papers
Spatial transcriptomics, single-cell RNA sequencing, cancer-associated fibroblasts, patient-derived organoids
Publication window
Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
Eligibility
Research articles; reviews excluded
Citation window
18 months post-publication
18m citation range
62–189
Data source
OpenAlex · Retrieved September 2026
License
CC BY 4.0

Rankings

20 papers ranked by 18-month citation count

#1 of 5,847
18918m citations

Cross-tissue human fibroblast atlas reveals myofibroblast subtypes with distinct roles in immune modulation

Yang Gao et al.Cancer Cell202410.1016/j.ccell.2024.08.020

Wenhong Hou, Zemin ZhangPeking University, China

Single-cell RNA sequencingCAF heterogeneityMyofibroblastic CAFsLRRC15+ myofibroblastsPI16+ fibroblastsImmunomodulatory CAFsimmune-excluded tumor microenvironmentImmunosuppressive tumor microenvironmentcross-tissue fibroblast atlasfibroblast developmental originsanti-tumor fibroblastsfibroblast-subtype patient stratificationInflammatory CAFsCancer-associated fibroblasts
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#2 of 5,847
18718m citations

Deterministic reprogramming of neutrophils within tumors

Melissa S F Ng, Immanuel Kwok, Leonard Tan, Changming Shi et al.Science202410.1126/science.adf6493

Melissa Ng, Immanuel Kwok, Leonard Tan, Chuyan Shi, Lai Guan NgSingapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Singapore

neutrophil reprogrammingdcTRAIL-R1+ neutrophilsepigenetic modificationstranscriptional reprogrammingproteomic modificationsimmature neutrophilsmature neutrophilsterminal differentiationglycolytic nichehypoxic nichetumor core localizationAngiogenesisneutrophil trajectoryneutrophil ontogenyCancer immunotherapy
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#3 of 5,847
15418m citations

Tumor-associated macrophages restrict CD8+ T cell function through collagen deposition and metabolic reprogramming of the breast cancer microenvironment

Kevin M Tharp et al.Nature Cancer202410.1038/s43018-024-00775-4

Valerie M. WeaverUniversity of California San Francisco, United States

Tumor-associated macrophagesCD8+ T cellsExtracellular matrix remodelingmetabolic reprogrammingbreast cancer microenvironmentT cell dysfunctionImmunosuppressive tumor microenvironmentmacrophage-T cell interactionTumor stromametabolic competitionImmune evasioncollagen-mediated immune exclusion
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#4 of 5,847
12418m citations

Cancer-associated fibroblast phenotypes are associated with patient outcome in non-small cell lung cancer

Lena Cords et al.Cancer Cell202410.1016/j.ccell.2023.12.021

Bernd BodenmillerUniversity of Zurich, Switzerland

Cancer-associated fibroblastsLung cancerimaging mass cytometryIMCTumor microenvironmentCAF heterogeneityImmunomodulatory CAFsInflammatory CAFsMatrix CAFsspatial distributionprognostic factorspatient survivalImmune infiltrationTumor heterogeneitySpatial transcriptomics
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#5 of 5,847
12318m citations

Progressive plasticity during colorectal cancer metastasis

Andrew Moorman, Elizabeth K Benitez, Francesco Cambuli et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-08150-0

Dana Pe’er, Karuna GaneshMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, United States

colorectal cancer metastasisphenotypic plasticityLGR5+ intestinal stem-like statesfetal progenitor statenon-canonical differentiationsquamous-like statesneuroendocrine-like statesPatient-derived organoidsmultilineage differentiation potentialmicroenvironment cuesPROX1repression of non-intestinal lineagesCellular plasticityTherapy resistancebiospecimen trioslineage reprogramming
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#7 of 5,847
10418m citations

CAF-macrophage crosstalk in tumour microenvironments governs the response to immune checkpoint blockade in gastric cancer peritoneal metastases

Yuanfang Li et al.Gut202410.1136/gutjnl-2024-333617

Zexian Liu, Rui-Hua Xu, Hui LuoSun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, China

Peritoneal metastasisImmune checkpoint blockadesintilimabSingle-cell RNA sequencingTumor microenvironmentSPP1+ macrophagesMatrix CAFsTumor stromacomplement C3C3a receptor 1C3-C3AR1 axisTumor-associated macrophagesTumor-stroma interactionsTherapy resistanceImmunosuppressive tumor microenvironment
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#8 of 5,847
9018m citations

Human organoids with an autologous tissue-resident immune compartment

Timothy Recaldin, Linda Steinacher, Bruno Gjeta, Marius F Harter et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07791-5

Lauriane Cabon, J. Gray Camp, Nikolche GjorevskiRoche Innovation Center Basel, Switzerland

human intestinal immuno-organoidstissue-resident memory T cellsTRM cellsepithelial-immune interactionsintraepithelial T cellsSingle-cell RNA sequencingcancer-targeting biologicsimmunotherapy-associated intestinal inflammationCD8+ T cell activationCD8+ T cellsT helper-1-like CD4+ populationRho pathwayautologous immune compartmentepithelial barrier surveillancecell motility and adhesion programsTumor organoid generationeffector T cell differentiationinterlineage immune interactions
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#11 of 5,847
8218m citations

Cancer-associated fibroblast subtypes modulate the tumor-immune microenvironment and are associated with skin cancer malignancy

Agnes Forsthuber, Bertram Aschenbrenner, Ana Korosec et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-53908-9

Maria Kasper, Beate M. LichtenbergerMedical University of Vienna, Austria

Cancer-associated fibroblastsCAF heterogeneitybasal cell carcinomaSquamous cell carcinomamelanomaSingle-cell RNA sequencingSpatial transcriptomicsMyofibroblastic CAFsMatrix CAFsImmunomodulatory CAFsextracellular matrix synthesisImmune infiltrationtumor nest ensheathingcytokine expressionchemokine expressioncancer cell secretomesTumor microenvironmentTherapy resistance
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#12 of 5,847
7918m citations

THBS2 + cancer-associated fibroblasts promote EMT leading to oxaliplatin resistance via COL8A1-mediated PI3K/AKT activation in colorectal cancer

Xing Zhou, Jiashu Han, Anning Zuo, Yuhao Ba, Shutong Liu et al.Molecular Cancer202410.1186/s12943-024-02180-y

Xinwei Han, Jinhai Deng, Zaoqu LiuThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China

Matrix CAFsCOL8A1Therapy resistanceEpithelial-mesenchymal transitionPI3K/Akt/mTOR pathwayColorectal cancerITGB1 receptorSingle-cell RNA sequencingSpatial transcriptomicsExtracellular matrix remodelingCAF heterogeneityTHBS2AKT inhibitorITGB1 knockdownTumor-stroma interactions
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#13 of 5,847
7618m citations

An atlas of epithelial cell states and plasticity in lung adenocarcinoma

Guangchun Han, Ansam Sinjab, Zahraa Rahal, Anne M Lynch et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07113-9

Jichao Chen, Linghua Wang, Humam KadaraThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States

Lung cancerSingle-cell RNA sequencingCell statesCellular plasticityKRAS mutationsKRT8+ alveolar intermediate cellsEpithelial cellsoncogenic driver mutationstumor precursor cellstobacco carcinogen exposureEpithelial differentiationaneuploidylineage tracingTumor organoidsKRAS inhibitionAT2-to-tumor transformationlung precancerKRT8 expression
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#14 of 5,847
7318m citations

Deciphering the spatial landscape and plasticity of immunosuppressive fibroblasts in breast cancer

Hugo Croizer, Rana Mhaidly, Yann Kieffer et al.Nature Communications202410.1038/s41467-024-47068-z

Fatima Mechta‐GrigoriouInstitut Curie, France

FAP+ Cancer-Associated FibroblastsInflammatory CAFsMyofibroblastic CAFsSpatial transcriptomicsTrajectory inferenceEcoCellTypesMatrix CAFsDPP4YAP1TREM2+ macrophagesregulatory NK cellsregulatory T cellsFOLR2+ macrophagesDuctal carcinoma in situinvasive recurrence predictionCellular plasticityImmunosuppressive tumor microenvironmentTumor-stroma interactions
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#15 of 5,847
6818m citations

Modulating autophagy to boost the antitumor efficacy of TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate in pancreatic cancer

Caili Xu et al.Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy202410.1016/j.biopha.2024.117550

Dianwen Ju, Ziyu Wang, Xuyao ZhangFudan University, China

TROP2antibody-drug conjugatePancreatic cancerαTROP2-MMAEMMAEautophagycaspase-9/PARP pathwayApoptosisautophagosomesautophagic fluxPI3K/Akt/mTOR pathwayautophagy inhibitorscytoprotective autophagyBxPC3 cellssubcutaneous xenograft modelRNA sequencingcombination therapy
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#16 of 5,847
6718m citations

Two distinct epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition programs control invasion and inflammation in segregated tumor cell populations

Nitin Narwade, Aida Arcas, Angel Marquez-Galera, Raúl Jiménez-Castaño et al.Nature Cancer202410.1038/s43018-024-00839-5

M. Ángela NietoInstituto de Neurociencias (CSIC-UMH), Spain

Epithelial-mesenchymal transitionembryonic-like EMTadult-like EMTSNAILPRRX1pioneer factorCellular plasticityneural crestrenal fibrosis mouse modelbreast cancer mouse modelMetastasistumor inflammationTumor heterogeneitycellular trajectory bifurcationTumor-associated macrophagesPrrx1 deletionEMT trajectory interdependenceinvasive trajectoryinflammatory trajectory
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#17 of 5,847
6718m citations

Sonodynamic Nano-LYTACs Reverse Tumor Immunosuppressive Microenvironment for Cancer Immunotherapy

Mengke Xu et al.Journal of the American Chemical Society202410.1021/jacs.4c13022

Kanyi PuNanyang Technological University, Singapore

Lysosome targeting chimerasonodynamic therapyTumor-associated macrophagesIL-4R degradationinterleukin 4 receptorCD206interleukin 10Immunosuppressive tumor microenvironmentregulatory T cellsdendritic cell maturationT effector cellsmembrane protein degradationtumor retentionLung metastasisCancer immunotherapy
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#18 of 5,847
6518m citations

Spatiotemporally resolved colorectal oncogenesis in mini-colons ex vivo

L Francisco Lorenzo-Martín, Tania Hübscher et al.Nature202410.1038/s41586-024-07330-2

L. Francisco Lorenzo‐Martín, Matthias P. LütolfÉcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

Tumor organoidsTumor progressiontumorigenesis ex vivomicrofabricationoptogenetic controltissue engineeringblue-light exposureoncogenic activationsingle-cell resolutionreal-time trackingTumor heterogeneityInter-patient heterogeneityColorectal cancertopobiological complexityoncogenic transformationspatiotemporal controlcell-intrinsic determinantscell-extrinsic parameters
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#19 of 5,847
6518m citations

Personalized Vascularized Tumor Organoid‐on‐a‐Chip for Tumor Metastasis and Therapeutic Targeting Assessment

Yang Du et al.Advanced Materials202410.1002/adma.202412815

Yixin Liu, Fei Chen, Yan‐Jun LiuShanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, China

Tumor vasculaturePatient-derived organoidshierarchical microvasculatureMetastasisAngiogenesisNotch signalingAntiangiogenic therapymetastatic tumor cellstumor cell migration toward blood vesselsTreatment response predictionclinical metastatic outcomespatient-specific tumor characteristicsvascular networks in vitroTumor progression
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#20 of 5,847
6218m citations

PDGFRα+ITGA11+ fibroblasts foster early-stage cancer lymphovascular invasion and lymphatic metastasis via ITGA11-SELE interplay

Hanhao Zheng et al.Cancer Cell202410.1016/j.ccell.2024.02.002

Changhao Chen, Tianxin LinSun Yat-sen University, China

PDGFRα+ITGA11+ fibroblastsCancer-associated fibroblastslymphovascular invasionLymphatic metastasisearly-stage bladder cancerSingle-cell RNA sequencingSpatial transcriptomicsITGA11-SELE interactionlymphangiogenesisEndothelial cellsSRC-p-VEGFR3-MAPK pathwayCHI3L1IntravasationCAF heterogeneityPDGFRα+ITGA11+ CAF-deficient mouse modelSELE surface receptorextracellular matrix alignment
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Dominant research themes and year-over-year shifts in Cancer Cells and Metastasis

What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 in cancer cells and metastasis research is strongly driven by high-resolution multi-omic profiling technologies and deep characterization of the tumor microenvironment (TME). **Spatial transcriptomics** (15 mentions) and **single-cell RNA sequencing** (14 mentions) emerged as the dominant methodological themes, indicating a shift toward mapping cellular interactions in their native architectural context. A major biological focus of the top-cited papers is the stromal compartment, particularly **cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs)** (9 mentions) and **CAF heterogeneity** (7 mentions). Researchers are increasingly dissecting specific subpopulations, such as matrix CAFs, to understand their distinct roles in promoting or restricting tumor progression. Other core themes include **epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)** and the development of advanced functional assays like **patient-derived organoids** (6 mentions) to model these complex dynamics ex vivo. Together, these defining topics illustrate a field that is moving away from bulk tumor analysis toward dissecting the precise cellular state and spatial organization of metastatic niches.

Leading research themes
Leading research themes

How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparing the top-cited papers of 2024 to the previous cohort reveals a pronounced acceleration in spatial biology and specific TME cell-state analyses. **Spatial transcriptomics** experienced massive growth, increasing 2.5-fold compared to the previous year, highlighting its rapid adoption as a critical tool for mapping metastasis. Similarly, focus on **tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs)** spiked significantly (a 5-fold increase), alongside a sharp rise in studies examining distinct fibroblast subpopulations like **matrix CAFs** (up 2.5-fold). Notably, the application of computational methods for tracking cellular state changes, such as **trajectory inference** and **cell-cell communication patterns**, emerged as rapidly growing areas of interest. Meanwhile, some broader or more established themes, while still highly relevant, saw relative stabilization in the very top tier of citations. The overall trajectory from 2025 to 2026 indicates a field rapidly translating single-cell transcriptomic discoveries into spatially resolved, mechanistic studies of how immune and stromal cells cooperate to facilitate cancer spread.

How topics shifted year over year
How topics shifted year over year
Methodology

PRI identifies high-impact research using a transparent, topic-agnostic framework applied consistently across scientific domains. Bibliographic records are drawn from OpenAlex, including publication dates, citation relationships, and document types.

This ranking covers the Class of 2026 cohort: journal articles published in 2024. Reviews and other non-article document types are excluded to ensure comparability.

Research impact is quantified with an 18-month post-publication citation window—the number of citing works published within 18 months of each paper's publication date. This metric captures early impact while controlling for publication age.

An LLM-based relevance classifier then reviews each candidate's title and abstract to confirm substantive alignment with the target domain. Only papers classified as relevant appear in the final ranking.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459

Full methodologyGitHubbioRxiv preprint

Cite this ranking

Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Cancer Cells and Metastasis Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/cancer-cells-and-metastasis/2026. Accessed 2026-10-24.

Methodology
Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459