In this review, we have outlined the application of single-cell technology in cancer research. Single-cell technology has made encouraging progress in recent years and now provides the means to detect rare cancer cells such as circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells. We reveal how this technology has advanced the analysis of intratumor heterogeneity and tumor epigenetics, and guided individualized treatment strategies. The future prospects now are to bring single-cell technology into the clinical arena. We believe that the clinical application of single-cell technology will be beneficial in cancer diagnostics and treatment, and ultimately improve survival in cancer patients.

在这篇综述中，我们概述了单细胞技术在癌症研究中的应用。近年来，单细胞技术取得了令人鼓舞的进步，现在，单细胞技术提供了检测稀有癌细胞（例如循环肿瘤细胞和癌干细胞）的方法。我们揭示了该技术如何促进肿瘤内异质性和肿瘤表观遗传学的分析，并指导个体化治疗策略。现在的未来前景是将单细胞技术带入临床领域。我们相信单细胞技术的临床应用将有益于癌症的诊断和治疗，并最终提高癌症患者的生存率。