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Yan X, Xu HY, Liu JW, Yang ZY, Zhu Q. Integration of pathomics and single-cell omics in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Applications and clinical translation prospects. World J Clin Oncol 2026; 17(5): 119864 [DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v17.i5.119864]
Xin Yan, Zhi-Yong Yang, Qian Zhu, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei Province, China
Xin Yan, Hong-Yu Xu, Jia-Wu Liu, School of Medicine, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, Hubei Province, China
Zhi-Yong Yang, Qian Zhu, Clinical Medicine Research Center for Minimally Invasive Procedure of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases of Hubei Province, Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430071, Hubei Province, China
Co-first authors: Xin Yan and Hong-Yu Xu.
Co-corresponding authors: Zhi-Yong Yang and Qian Zhu.
Author contributions: Yan X and Xu HY contributed equally to this work as co-first authors; Yan X, Xu HY, and Liu JW curated the data; Yan X, Xu HY, Yang ZY, and Zhu Q analyzed and visualized the data; Yang ZY and Zhu Q contributed equally to this work as co-corresponding authors. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Grammarly was used for language polishing and grammar revision only. No AI tool participated in the conceptualization, literature selection, synthesis of cited findings, or formulation of critical discussions. All review planning, thematic structuring, and analytical conclusions were performed exclusively by the authors.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Qian Zhu, PhD, Professor, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 169 East Lake Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430071, Hubei Province, China. zhuqian@whu.edu.cn
Received: February 9, 2026 Revised: February 17, 2026 Accepted: March 16, 2026 Published online: May 24, 2026 Processing time: 101 Days and 18.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This minireview systematically summarizes the progress of single-cell omics and pathomics in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) research. Single-cell omics provides deep insights into the cellular heterogeneity, tumor microenvironment, and drug-resistance mechanisms of PDAC. Pathomics employs artificial intelligence to quantitatively analyze histopathological images, enabling automated diagnosis, molecular subtyping, and prognostic evaluation. The integration of these two approaches constructs a multidimensional “morphological-molecular-spatial” perspective, which significantly advances the precision management of PDAC. Future work should focus on standardizing multi-omics techniques, building interpretable models, and promoting clinical translation to address the current therapeutic challenges in PDAC.
