Abstract
Metastases are the main cause of cancer-related deaths. The chain of events leading to their development is called "the metastatic cascade". The biological and biochemical aspects of this process have been well studied but the importance of biomechanical parameters only recently became a focus in the field. Studies have shown the biological fluids (blood, lymph and interstitial fluid) to play a key role in the metastatic cascade. These fluids participate in the transport of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as well as the factors that they secrete, while at the same time influencing the events of the metastatic cascade through the forces that they generate. The hemodynamic properties and topological constraints of the vascular architecture control the formation of metastatic niches and the metastatic potential of tumor cells. In this review, we discuss the importance of these mechanical forces and highlight the novel questions and research avenues that they open.
Highlights
Broggi MAS, Maillat L, Clement CC, et al Tumor-associated factors are enriched in lymphatic exudate compared to plasma in metastatic melanoma patients
Hyenne V, Ghoroghi S, Collot M, et al Studying the fate of tumor extracellular vesicles at high spatiotemporal resolution using the zebrafish embryo
Matsumoto A, Takahashi Y, Chang H-Y, et al Blood concentrations of small extracellular vesicles are determined by a balance between abundant secretion and rapid clearance
Summary
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