Published in

MDPI, Cells, 23(11), p. 3840, 2022

DOI: 10.3390/cells11233840

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Do Tumor Mechanical Stresses Promote Cancer Immune Escape?

Journal article published in 2022 by Killian Onwudiwe, Julian Najera ORCID, Saeed Siri ORCID, Meenal Datta ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Immune evasion—a well-established cancer hallmark—is a major barrier to immunotherapy efficacy. While the molecular mechanisms and biological consequences underpinning immune evasion are largely known, the role of tissue mechanical stresses in these processes warrants further investigation. The tumor microenvironment (TME) features physical abnormalities (notably, increased fluid and solid pressures applied both inside and outside the TME) that drive cancer mechanopathologies. Strikingly, in response to these mechanical stresses, cancer cells upregulate canonical immune evasion mechanisms, including epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and autophagy. Consideration and characterization of the origins and consequences of tumor mechanical stresses in the TME may yield novel strategies to combat immunotherapy resistance. In this Perspective, we posit that tumor mechanical stresses—namely fluid shear and solid stresses—induce immune evasion by upregulating EMT and autophagy. In addition to exploring the basis for our hypothesis, we also identify explicit gaps in the field that need to be addressed in order to directly demonstrate the existence and importance of this biophysical relationship. Finally, we propose that reducing or neutralizing fluid shear stress and solid stress-induced cancer immune escape may improve immunotherapy outcomes.