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Updated: Dec 22, 2025

Modeling the Effects of Hemodynamic Stress on Circulating Tumor Cells using a Syringe and Needle
Published on: April 27, 2021
Blood Flow Contributions to Cancer Metastasis
Francesc Font-Clos1, Stefano Zapperi2, Caterina A M La Porta3
1Center for Complexity and Biosystems, Department of Physics, University of Milan, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy.
Abstract:
The distribution patterns of cancer metastasis depend on a sequence of steps involving adhesion molecules and on mechanical and geometrical effects related to blood circulation, but how much each of these two aspects contributes to the metastatic spread of a specific tumor is still unknown. Here we address this question by simulating cancer cell trajectories in a high-resolution humanoid model of global blood circulation, including stochastic adhesion events, and comparing the results with the location of metastasis recorded in thousands of human autopsies for seven different solid tumors, including lung, prostate, pancreatic and colorectal cancers, showing that on average 40% of the variation in the metastatic distribution can be attributed to blood circulation. Our humanoid model of circulating tumor cells allows us to predict the metastatic spread in specific realistic conditions and can therefore guide precise therapeutic interventions to fight metastasis.
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