固体肿瘤具有动态的生态系统，其中恶性和非恶性（内皮、基质和免疫）细胞类型不断地相互作用。重要的是，肿瘤微环境内每个细胞成分的丰度、定位和功能方向随时间和治疗反应而有显著变化。这种肿瘤内异质性影响了肿瘤进程和其对治疗的敏感性。最近，高维成像质谱细胞学（IMC）被开发用于单细胞水平探索肿瘤生态系统。近年来，多项研究表明IMC是解析肿瘤复杂性的强有力工具。在本综述中，我们总结了这项技术的潜力以及它在癌症研究中（从临床前到临床研究）可能有用的方面。 ©2023.作者（们）。

Solid tumors have a dynamic ecosystem in which malignant and non-malignant (endothelial, stromal, and immune) cell types constantly interact. Importantly, the abundance, localization, and functional orientation of each cell component within the tumor microenvironment vary significantly over time and in response to treatment. Such intratumoral heterogeneity influences the tumor course and its sensitivity to treatments. Recently, high-dimensional imaging mass cytometry (IMC) has been developed to explore the tumor ecosystem at the single-cell level. In the last years, several studies demonstrated that IMC is a powerful tool to decipher the tumor complexity. In this review, we summarize the potential of this technology and how it may be useful for cancer research (from preclinical to clinical studies).© 2023. The Author(s).