Unexpected anti-cancer finding: pressure inside the tumor can cause its cells to self-destruct and slow metastasis

Metastasis, that is, the ability of tumor cells to move and invade other tissues, is one of the greatest obstacles in the fight against cancer. However, a new study suggests that the tumor’s own environment could turn against it. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai have demonstrated, using three-dimensional laboratory models, that the physical pressure and confinement endured by cancer cells can halt their progression and even cause their death. The work has been published in the journal Developmental Cell, from Cell Press. According to Liming Sun, co-author of the study, most previous research had focused on how these cells acquire the ability to migrate. Very few had asked what happens to them when they remain under chronic physical stress, such as that found in densely populated tumors.