Heterogeneity of tumor biophysical properties and their potential role as prognostic markers

Cancer Heterogeneity and Plasticity 2024;1(2):0011 | https://doi.org/10.47248/chp2401020011

Review Open Access

Heterogeneity of tumor biophysical properties and their potential role as prognostic markers

Anja Madleine Markl ^1,2,3,4 , Daniel Nieder ² , Diana Isabel Sandoval-Bojorquez ² , Anna Taubenberger ^5,6 , Jean-Fran?ois Berret ⁷ , Artur Yakimovich ^8,9 , Eduardo Sergio Oliveros-Mata ³ , Larysa Baraban ^2,6 , Anna Dubrovska ^1,4,10,11,12

1. Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiooncology-OncoRay, 01328 Dresden, Germany
2. Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
3. Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328, Dresden, Germany
4. OncoRay-National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01309 Dresden, Germany
5. Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) and Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
6. Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
7. Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Matière et systèmes complexes 75013, Paris, France
8. Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), 02826 Görlitz, Germany
9. Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
10. German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
11. German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, 01309 Dresden, Germany
12. National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany

Correspondence: Anna Dubrovska

Academic Editor(s): Dean G. Tang

Received: Oct 15, 2024 | Accepted: Nov 28, 2024 | Published: Dec 19, 2024

Cite this article: Markl A, Nieder D, Sandoval-Bojorquez D, Taubenberger A, Berret J, Yakimovich A, Oliveros-Mata E, Baraban L, Dubrovska A. Heterogeneity of tumor biophysical properties and their potential role as prognostic markers. Cancer Heterog Plast 2024; 1(2):0011. https://doi.org/10.47248/chp2401020011

Abstract

Progress in our knowledge of tumor regulatory mechanisms and complexity led to the understanding of the physical parameters of cancer cells and their microenvironment, including the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, solid stress, and liquid pressure, as critical regulators of tumor progression and potential prognostic markers associated with clinical outcomes. The biological hallmarks of cancer and physical abnormalities of tumors are mutually reinforced, promoting a vicious cycle of tumor progression. A comprehensive analysis of the biological and physical tumor parameters is critical for developing more robust prognostic and diagnostic markers and for improving treatment efficiency. Like the biological tumor traits, physical tumor features are characterized by inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity. The dynamic changes of physical tumor properties during progression and as a result of tumor treatment highlight the necessity of their spatial and temporal analysis in clinical settings. This review focuses on the biological basis of the tumor-specific physical traits, the state-of-the-art methods of their analyses, and the perspective of clinical translation. The importance of tumor physical parameters for disease progression and therapy resistance, as well as current treatment strategies to monitor and target tumor physical traits in clinics, is highlighted.

Keywords

impedance, elasticity, viscosity, stiffness, tumor heterogeneity, cancer stem cells

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