A Spatial Atlas of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Reveals Lineage-Specific Vulnerabilities and Immune Architecture.

A spatial atlas of muscle-invasive bladder cancer shows a continuous luminal-to-basal axis linked to chromosomal instability and transcriptional plasticity in individual tumors.

• Why it matters: Understanding the spatial organization of tumor states and microenvironmental context is crucial for improving molecular subtyping and targeted therapies in MIBC, which is currently heterogeneous.
• What they did: The study integrated spatial transcriptomics from 22 tumors with matched bulk RNA and whole-exome sequencing, revealing lineage-specific differences and immune architecture across over 3,000 tumors.
• The result: Findings highlight conserved FGFR3-EGFR lineage exclusivity, immune programs, and spatially associated vulnerabilities, providing a framework for tailored therapeutic strategies in MIBC.