The identification of cancer-related changes in cells and tissues based on the measurements of elastic properties using atomic force microscopy (AFM) seems to be approaching clinical application. Several limiting aspects have already been discussed; however, still, no data have shown how specific AFM probe geometries are related to the biomechanical evaluation of cancer cells. Here, we analyze and compare the nanomechanical results of mechanically homogenous polyacrylamide gels and heterogeneous bladder cancer cells measured using AFM probes of various tip geometry, including symmetric and non-symmetric pyramids and a sphere. Our observations show large modulus variability aligned with both types of AFM probes used and with the internal structure of the cells. Altogether, these results demonstrate that it is possible to differentiate between compliant and rigid samples of kPa elasticity; however, simultaneously, they highlight the strong need for standardized protocols for AFM-based elasticity measurements if applied in clinical practice including the use of a single type of AFM cantilever.

基于使用原子力显微镜（AFM）测量弹性特性来识别细胞和组织中与癌症相关的变化似乎正在接近临床应用。已经讨论了几个限制方面；然而，仍然没有数据表明特定的 AFM 探针几何形状与癌细胞的生物力学评估有何关系。在这里，我们分析和比较了使用各种尖端几何形状（包括对称和非对称金字塔和球体）的 AFM 探针测量的机械均质聚丙烯酰胺凝胶和异质膀胱癌细胞的纳米力学结果。我们的观察结果表明，模量的较大变异性与所使用的两种类型的 AFM 探针以及细胞的内部结构一致。总而言之，这些结果表明可以区分柔性样本和刚性样本的 kPa 弹性；然而，同时，他们强调，如果应用于临床实践，包括使用单一类型的 AFM 悬臂，则强烈需要基于 AFM 的弹性测量的标准化协议。