Solid stress inhibits the growth of multicellular tumor spheroids

Introduction

The growth, morphogenesis, and homeostasis of tissue are tightly regulated by the stress field; examples can be found in the bone (external load) and blood vessel (systemic pressure). Vice versa, stress can be induced by cellular processes; examples are traction forces and residual stresses in tissues.

Researchers hypothesized that the stress may affect

• Tumor growth rate
• Growth pattern' in vitro/in vivo
• Tumor physiology and blood flow - vessel wall collapse, chronic vascular/lymphatic occlusion
• Metastasis

However, the stress generated was difficult to quantify and we did not know how the stress affects proliferation/apoptosis/cellular density. The tumor growth in vivo also involves a gradual displacement of the surrounding matrix. In this study, the authors addressed these concerns by seeding tumor cells in an agarose gels (the cells formed spheroids) - an in vitro study.