TY - JOUR
T1 - The physics of cancer
T2 - The role of physical interactions and mechanical forces in metastasis
AU - Wirtz, Denis
AU - Konstantopoulos, Konstantinos
AU - Searson, Peter C.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the US National Institutes of Health (grants U54CA143868, U54CA151838 and RO1CA101135).
PY - 2011/7
Y1 - 2011/7
N2 - Metastasis is a complex, multistep process responsible for >90% of cancer-related deaths. In addition to genetic and external environmental factors, the physical interactions of cancer cells with their microenvironment, as well as their modulation by mechanical forces, are key determinants of the metastatic process. We reconstruct the metastatic process and describe the importance of key physical and mechanical processes at each step of the cascade. The emerging insight into these physical interactions may help to solve some long-standing questions in disease progression and may lead to new approaches to developing cancer diagnostics and therapies.
AB - Metastasis is a complex, multistep process responsible for >90% of cancer-related deaths. In addition to genetic and external environmental factors, the physical interactions of cancer cells with their microenvironment, as well as their modulation by mechanical forces, are key determinants of the metastatic process. We reconstruct the metastatic process and describe the importance of key physical and mechanical processes at each step of the cascade. The emerging insight into these physical interactions may help to solve some long-standing questions in disease progression and may lead to new approaches to developing cancer diagnostics and therapies.
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U2 - 10.1038/nrc3080
DO - 10.1038/nrc3080
M3 - Review article
C2 - 21701513
AN - SCOPUS:79959636906
SN - 1474-175X
VL - 11
SP - 512
EP - 522
JO - Nature Reviews Cancer
JF - Nature Reviews Cancer
IS - 7
ER -