A new theoretical model of tumor growth and metastasis based on differences in tissue pressureMarch 24, 2009The HFSP Journal, the interdisciplinary journal for scientists conducting high quality, innovative research at the interface between biology and the physical sciences is pleased to announce that the latest article modelling of tumor growth and metastasis in now available online at http://hfspj.aip.org/. The progression of cancer is a multi-step process. Over 80% of malignant tumors are carcinomas that originate in epithelial tissues from where they invade the connective tissue. At some point, subpopulations of cells may detach from the primary tumor and spread via the bloodstream and the lymphatic system. Some of them give rise to metastases in distant organs. The metastatic cascade is a very inefficient process, as only one in about a thousand cells that leave the primary tumor goes on to form a macroscopic secondary tumor. The main contribution to metastatic inefficiency arises from the failure of cancerous cells to grow inside invaded organs. Metastatic tumors also show preferential growth in different organs. Hence, the efficiency of the metastatic process depends on specific interactions between the invading cancer cells and the local organ tissues. In an Article published on the HFSP Journal website, Risler, Prost and Joanny from Institut Curie in Paris suggest that this is due to a difference of pressure between tumor cells and the host tissue. Combining the laws of mechanics and the biological state of homeostasis, the authors propose that every biological tissue regulates to a preferred pressure called homeostatic pressure, and that an increased homeostatic pressure is a generic trait of neoplastic tissues. This property can drive tumour growth at the expense of the host tissue. Metastases account for the majority of patients' deaths due to cancer, and thus understanding the metastatic process is of critical importance. HFSP Publishing |
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| Related Tumor Growth Current Events and Tumor Growth News Articles Laser therapy can aggravate skin cancer High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas. Common pain relief medication may encourage cancer growth Although morphine has been the gold-standard treatment for postoperative and chronic cancer pain for two centuries, a growing body of evidence is showing that opiate-based painkillers can stimulate the growth and spread of cancer cells. Cancers' Sweet Tooth May Be Weakness The pedal-to-the-metal signals driving the growth of several types of cancer cells lead to a common switch governing the use of glucose, researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered. Researchers 'notch' a victory toward new kind of cancer drug Scientists have devised an innovative way to disarm a key protein considered to be "undruggable," meaning that all previous efforts to develop a drug against it have failed. New mechanism explains how the body prevents formation of blood vessels Researchers at Uppsala University, in collaboration with colleagues in Sweden and abroad, have identified an entirely new mechanism by which a specific protein in the body inhibits formation of new blood vessels. CSHL study shows that some malignant tumors can be shut down after all Oncologists have had their hands tied because more than half of all human cancers have mutations that disable a protein called p53. Hundreds of genes distinguish patients likely to survive advanced melanoma Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs. 1930s drug slows tumor growth Drugs sometimes have beneficial side effects. A glaucoma treatment causes luscious eyelashes. A blood pressure drug also aids those with a rare genetic disease. Early-stage, HER2-positive breast cancer patients at increased risk of recurrence Early-stage breast cancer patients with HER2 positive tumors one centimeter or smaller are at significant risk of recurrence of their disease, compared to those with early-stage disease who do not express the aggressive protein, according to a study led by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Researchers use drug-radiation combo to eradicate lung cancer Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have eliminated non-small cell lung (NSCL) cancer in mice by using an investigative drug called BEZ235 in combination with low-dose radiation. More Tumor Growth Current Events and Tumor Growth News Articles |
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