The fundamental operative unit of a cancer is the genetically and epigenetically innovative single cell. Whether proliferating or quiescent, in the primary tumour mass or disseminated elsewhere, single cells govern the parameters that dictate all facets of the biology of cancer. Thus, single-cell analyses provide the ultimate level of resolution in our quest for a fundamental understanding of this disease. Historically, this quest has been hampered by technological shortcomings. In this Opinion article, we argue that the rapidly evolving field of single-cell sequencing has unshackled the cancer research community of these shortcomings. From furthering an elemental understanding of intra-tumoural genetic heterogeneity and cancer genome evolution to illuminating the governing principles of disease relapse and metastasis, we posit that single-cell sequencing promises to unravel the biology of all facets of this disease.

癌症的基本手术单元是遗传和表观遗传学上创新的单细胞。无论是在原发肿瘤块中扩散还是静止，还是在其他地方扩散，单个细胞都控制着决定癌症生物学各个方面的参数。因此，单细胞分析为我们对这种疾病的基本了解提供了最终的解决方案。从历史上看，这一追求一直受到技术缺陷的阻碍。在这篇观点文章中，我们认为单细胞测序的快速发展领域已经使癌症研究界摆脱了这些缺点。从进一步了解肿瘤内遗传异质性和癌症基因组进化的基本原理，以阐明疾病复发和转移的主要原理，