title: The physics of cancer: the role of physical interactions and mechanical forces in metastasis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute for Nanobiotechnology, Johns Hopkins Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA. wirtz@jhu.edu
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wirtz
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konstantopoulos
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Searson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002465:Cell Movement; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D033081:Shear Strength; D015398:Signal Transduction