Profiling the genomic landscape and evolutionary history of polyploid giant cancer cells in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas

Polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs), characterised by multi-nucleation and atypical nuclear morphology, are a common feature of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas. While PGCCs may be a critical substrate for cancer evolution, their formation pathways and the genomic consequences of PGCCs remain relatively under explored. In this study, we characterise PGCCs in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas, as well as their histological mimics, and use topographic single-cell DNA sequencing (scDNA-seq) to investigate their genomic landscape. We selected PGCCs based on their nuclear morphology, including mono-nucleated or multi-nucleated bizarre, misshapen nuclei and analysed them at single-cell resolution. Our findings highlight PGCCs as a highly heterogeneous and evolutionarily dynamic component of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas.

• Type: Whole Genome Sequencing
• Archiver: European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA)