Tissue stiffness is tightly controlled under normal conditions, but changes with disease. In cancer, tumors often tend to be stiffer than the surrounding uninvolved tissue, yet the cells themselves soften. Within the past decade, and particularly in the last few years, there is increasing evidence that the stiffness of the extracellular matrix modulates cancer and stromal cell mechanics and function, influencing such disease hallmarks as angiogenesis, migration, and metastasis. This review briefly summarizes recent studies that investigate how cancer cells and fibrosis-relevant stromal cells respond to ECM stiffness, the possible sensing appendages and signaling mechanisms involved, and the emergence of novel substrates - including substrates with scar-like fractal heterogeneity - that mimic the in vivo mechanical environment of the cancer cell.

中文翻译：

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癌症的机械转导。

在正常情况下，组织的硬度受到严格控制，但会随疾病而变化。在癌症中，肿瘤往往比周围的未受累组织更硬，而细胞本身却​​变软。在过去的十年中，尤其是在最近的几年中，越来越多的证据表明，细胞外基质的硬度调节癌症和基质细胞的力学和功能，影响诸如血管生成，迁移和转移等疾病标志。这篇综述简要总结了最近的研究，这些研究调查了癌细胞和与纤维化相关的基质细胞如何响应ECM僵硬，可能涉及的传感附件和信号传导机制，以及新型底物（包括具有类似疤痕样分形异质性的底物）的出现。癌细胞的体内机械环境。