Single-cell and spatial omics in urologic cancer immunotherapy: bibliometric and registry mapping with an exploratory full-text assessment

Background Single-cell and spatial omics can inform research on immunotherapy response and resistance. We mapped publication activity and ClinicalTrials.gov study designs and explored evidence types in a targeted full-text subset of urologic cancer studies. Methods Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus records published in 2008–2025 were locked on 13 July 2026. Revision-stage eligibility reconciliation retained 538 records; 466 native Web of Science records supplied temporal-analysis inputs. A targeted full-text assessment was supplemented by a random audit of 100 previously non-selected records and independent reassessment of 40 selected studies. Evidence classes included treatment-exposed human data, association replication, computational proxies, experimental mechanisms, and prognosis. ClinicalTrials.gov records were analyzed separately. Results The 538-record corpus included 440 publications from 2023–2025 (81.8%). The targeted assessment included 122 original studies among 135 assessed reports. In the random audit, 15/100 records were C1 or C2b: three C1 and 12 C2b. One C1 report contained cell-level descriptive evidence without a patient-level marker–outcome analysis. The initial evidence-class agreement was 92/100 (Cohen’s kappa, 0.890) in this audit and 31/40 (kappa, 0.682) in the selected-study reassessment. Public-cohort reuse and exploratory analyses limited clinical interpretation. Of 10 ClinicalTrials.gov records, one had a verified reported omics component, eight documented planned or ongoing components, and one was withdrawn without accrual. Conclusion Bibliometric activity increased in the retained corpus. The random audit identified treatment-related reports missed by targeted retrieval, limiting claims about evidence completeness. Cell-level descriptions, patient-level associations, and locked-model validation require separate interpretation. Neither selected-study proportions nor bibliometric attention establishes field-wide clinical maturity. Registry plans require component-specific verification of implementation and reporting.