scholarly journals The Solid Mechanics of Cancer and Strategies for Improved Therapy

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Triantafyllos Stylianopoulos

Tumor progression and response to treatment is determined in large part by the generation of mechanical stresses that stem from both the solid and the fluid phase of the tumor. Furthermore, elevated solid stress levels can regulate fluid stresses by compressing intratumoral blood and lymphatic vessels. Blood vessel compression reduces tumor perfusion, while compression of lymphatic vessels hinders the ability of the tumor to drain excessive fluid from its interstitial space contributing to the uniform elevation of the interstitial fluid pressure. Hypoperfusion and interstitial hypertension pose major barriers to the systemic administration of chemotherapeutic agents and nanomedicines to tumors, reducing treatment efficacies. Hypoperfusion can also create a hypoxic and acidic tumor microenvironment that promotes tumor progression and metastasis. Hence, alleviation of intratumoral solid stress levels can decompress tumor vessels and restore perfusion and interstitial fluid pressure. In this review, three major types of tissue level solid stresses involved in tumor growth, namely stress exerted externally on the tumor by the host tissue, swelling stress, and residual stress, are discussed separately and details are provided regarding their causes, magnitudes, and remedies. Subsequently, evidence of how stress-alleviating drugs could be used in combination with chemotherapy to improve treatment efficacy is presented, highlighting the potential of stress-alleviation strategies to enhance cancer therapy. Finally, a continuum-level, mathematical framework to incorporate these types of solid stress is outlined.

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 2128-2135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tine V. Karlsen ◽  
Tore Reikvam ◽  
Anne Tofteberg ◽  
Elham Nikpey ◽  
Trude Skogstrand ◽  
...  

Objective— Lymphatic vessels play an important role in body fluid, as well as immune system homeostasis. Although the role of malfunctioning or missing lymphatics has been studied extensively, less is known on the functional consequences of a chronically expanded lymphatic network or lymphangiogenesis. Approach and Results— To this end, we used K14-VEGF-C (keratin-14 vascular endothelial growth factor-C) transgenic mice overexpressing the vascular endothelial growth factor C in skin and investigated the responses to inflammatory and fluid volume challenges. We also recorded interstitial fluid pressure, a major determinant of lymph flow. Transgenic mice had a strongly enhanced lymph vessel area in skin. Acute inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide and chronic inflammation by delayed-type hypersensitivity both resulted in increased interstitial fluid pressure and reduced lymph flow, both to the same extent in wild-type and transgenic mice. Hyperplastic lymphatic vessels, however, demonstrated enhanced transport capacity after local fluid overload not induced by inflammation. In this situation, interstitial fluid pressure was increased to a similar extent in the 2 strains, thus, suggesting that the enhanced lymph vessel area facilitated initial lymph formation. The increased lymph vessel area resulted in an enhanced production of the chemoattractant CCL21 that, however, did not result in augmented dendritic cell migration after induction of local skin inflammation by fluorescein isothiocyanate. Conclusions— An expanded lymphatic network is capable of enhanced chemoattractant production, and lymphangiogenesis will facilitate initial lymph formation favoring increased clearance of fluid in situations of augmented fluid filtration.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1891
Author(s):  
Gwenaël Pagé ◽  
Marion Tardieu ◽  
Jean-Luc Gennisson ◽  
Laurent Besret ◽  
Philippe Garteiser ◽  
...  

Malignant tumors have abnormal biomechanical characteristics, including high viscoelasticity, solid stress, and interstitial fluid pressure. Magnetic resonance (MR) elastography is increasingly used to non-invasively assess tissue viscoelasticity. However, solid stress and interstitial fluid pressure measurements are performed with invasive methods. We studied the feasibility and potential role of MR elastography at basal state and under controlled compression in assessing altered biomechanical features of malignant liver tumors. MR elastography was performed in mice with patient-derived, subcutaneously xenografted hepatocellular carcinomas or cholangiocarcinomas to measure the basal viscoelasticity and the compression stiffening rate, which corresponds to the slope of elasticity versus applied compression. MR elastography measurements were correlated with invasive pressure measurements and digital histological readings. Significant differences in MR elastography parameters, pressure, and histological measurements were observed between tumor models. In multivariate analysis, collagen content and interstitial fluid pressure were determinants of basal viscoelasticity, whereas solid stress, in addition to collagen content, cellularity, and tumor type, was an independent determinant of compression stiffening rate. Compression stiffening rate had high AUC (0.87 ± 0.08) for determining elevated solid stress, whereas basal elasticity had high AUC for tumor collagen content (AUC: 0.86 ± 0.08). Our results suggest that MR elastography compression stiffening rate, in contrast to basal viscoelasticity, is a potential marker of solid stress in malignant liver tumors.


2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4043-4043
Author(s):  
M. Dani ◽  
B. Vojnovic ◽  
R. Newman ◽  
D. Honess ◽  
I. Wilson ◽  
...  

4043 Background: Interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) of most solid tumours is increased relative to normal tissues; this is thought to be associated with the development of structurally and functionally abnormal blood and lymphatic vessels and interstitial fibrosis. Such interstitial hypertension creates a barrier for tumour transvascular transport, consequently compromising the delivery and efficacy of chemotherapy. We investigated the effect of Bevacizumab on IFP of a human rectal cancer xenograft. Methods: SCID mice bearing subcutaneous HT29 tumours of =8.5 mm diameter received a single dose of 10 mg/kg Bevacizumab intraperitoneally; controls received saline. Tumour IFP was measured in sedated mice (Hypnorm) on days 1, 3 and 5 post injection, using the wick-in-needle technique. Experiments were conducted under Home Office licence and approved by the local ethical committee. Results: Groups of 8 treated and control tumours were examined on days 1, 3 and 5 (n = 48). IFP was significantly lower (p<0.0001) on day 5 in treated than control tumours (mean ± SD 15.1 ± 4.7 cf 36.9 ± 5.6 mm Hg). No significant differences (p>0.05) between treated and control groups were seen on day 1 (31.8 ± 3.5 cf 30.6 ± 3.1 mm Hg) or day 3 (33.4 ± 5.5 cf 31.5 ± 3.2 mm Hg). No data were acquired on day 7 as the tumours ulcerated. Conclusions: Our data show that Bevacizumab causes a significant reduction of tumour IFP, but not until 5 days after treatment. Reduced IFP could augment uptake of cytotoxic drugs into tumour cells, hence timing of Bevacizumab relative to the first dose of chemotherapy could be of critical importance. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1452
Author(s):  
Stephen J.P. Pratt ◽  
Rachel M. Lee ◽  
Stuart S. Martin

Mechanotransduction is the interpretation of physical cues by cells through mechanosensation mechanisms that elegantly translate mechanical stimuli into biochemical signaling pathways. While mechanical stress and their resulting cellular responses occur in normal physiologic contexts, there are a variety of cancer-associated physical cues present in the tumor microenvironment that are pathological in breast cancer. Mechanistic in vitro data and in vivo evidence currently support three mechanical stressors as mechanical modifiers in breast cancer that will be the focus of this review: stiffness, interstitial fluid pressure, and solid stress. Increases in stiffness, interstitial fluid pressure, and solid stress are thought to promote malignant phenotypes in normal breast epithelial cells, as well as exacerbate malignant phenotypes in breast cancer cells.


2013 ◽  
Vol 73 (13) ◽  
pp. 3833-3841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Triantafyllos Stylianopoulos ◽  
John D. Martin ◽  
Matija Snuderl ◽  
Fotios Mpekris ◽  
Saloni R. Jain ◽  
...  

Cancer Cell ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikash P. Chauhan ◽  
Yves Boucher ◽  
Cristina R. Ferrone ◽  
Sylvie Roberge ◽  
John D. Martin ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Nieskoski ◽  
Kayla Marra ◽  
Jason R. Gunn ◽  
Stephen C. Kanick ◽  
Marvin M. Doyley ◽  
...  

Elevated total tissue pressure (TTP) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma is often associated with stress applied by cellular proliferation and hydrated hyaluronic acid osmotic swelling; however, the causal roles of collagen in total tissue pressure have yet to be clearly measured. This study illustrates one direct correlation between total tissue pressure and increased deposition of collagen within the tissue matrix. This observation comes from a new modification to a conventional piezoelectric pressure catheter, used to independently separate and quantify total tissue pressure, solid stress (SS), and interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) within the same tumor location, thereby clarifying the relationship between these parameters. Additionally, total tissue pressure shows a direct correlation with verteporfin uptake, demonstrating the impediment of systemically delivered molecules with increased tissue hypertension.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf K. Reed ◽  
Ansgar Berg ◽  
Eli-Anne B. Gjerde ◽  
Kristofer Rubin

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Tien ◽  
Le Li ◽  
Ozgur Ozsun ◽  
Kamil L. Ekinci

In order to understand how interstitial fluid pressure and flow affect cell behavior, many studies use microfluidic approaches to apply externally controlled pressures to the boundary of a cell-containing gel. It is generally assumed that the resulting interstitial pressure distribution quickly reaches a steady-state, but this assumption has not been rigorously tested. Here, we demonstrate experimentally and computationally that the interstitial fluid pressure within an extracellular matrix gel in a microfluidic device can, in some cases, react with a long time delay to external loading. Remarkably, the source of this delay is the slight (∼100 nm in the cases examined here) distension of the walls of the device under pressure. Finite-element models show that the dynamics of interstitial pressure can be described as an instantaneous jump, followed by axial and transverse diffusion, until the steady pressure distribution is reached. The dynamics follow scaling laws that enable estimation of a gel's poroelastic constants from time-resolved measurements of interstitial fluid pressure.


2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 1246-1254 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Wright ◽  
Helge Wiig ◽  
C. Peter Winlove ◽  
Joel L. Bert ◽  
Rolf K. Reed

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