Spatial Transcriptomics: A State-of-the-Art Review with a Focus on Musculoskeletal Sarcomas

Spatial transcriptomics is an emerging molecular biology approach that enables the analysis of gene expression while maintaining the spatial organization and cellular morphology of tissue samples. The rapid advancement of spatial technologies has significantly expanded our ability to investigate tissue architecture, cellular heterogeneity, spatially localized gene expression patterns, and cell–cell interactions. This is particularly relevant in cancer research and could improve our understanding of musculoskeletal sarcomas, a rare and heterogeneous group of malignant neoplasms arising from bone or soft tissues such as muscle, cartilage, and connective tissue. To date, the application of these technologies in sarcoma is still limited, but studies are emerging, especially for the analysis of their tumor microenvironment, principally focused on the infiltration of immune populations. In this review, we explore the ST technologies and the expanding role of ST in cancer research, focusing on applications in musculoskeletal sarcomas showing potential benefits and challenges.