single-cell RNA-sequence data of clinical small cell lung cancer samples

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is known for its high metastatic potential, with most patients demonstrating clinically evident metastases in multiple organs at diagnosis. The factors contributing to this exceptional metastatic capacity have not been defined. To bridge this gap, we compared gene expression in SCLC patient samples who never experienced metastasis or relapse throughout their clinical course, versus primary SCLC patient samples from more typical patients who had metastatic disease at diagnosis. This analysis identified FOXA2 as a transcription factor strongly associated with SCLC metastasis. Subsequent analyses in experimental models demonstrated that FOXA2 induces a fetal neuroendocrine gene expression program and promotes multi-site metastasis. Moreover, we identified ASCL1, a transcription factor known for its initiating role in SCLC tumorigenesis, as a direct binder of the FOXA2 promoter and regulator of FOXA2 expression. Taken together, these data define the ASCL1-FOXA2 axis as a critical driver of multiorgan SCLC metastasis.