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Updated: Jul 16, 2025

A Label-Free Segmentation Approach for Intravital Imaging of Mammary Tumor Microenvironment
Published on: May 24, 2022
Recent progress on the effect of extracellular matrix on occurrence and progression of breast cancer
Tong-Yao Yu1, Ge Zhang1, Xiao-Xia Chai1
1Institute for Special Environmental Biophysics, Key Laboratory for Space Bioscience and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, Shanxi, PR China.
Abstract:
Breast cancer (BC) metastasis is an enormous challenge targeting BC therapy. The extracellular matrix (ECM), the principal component of the BC metastasis niche, is the pivotal driver of breast tumor development, whose biochemical and biophysical characteristics have attracted widespread attention. Here, we review the biological effects of ECM constituents and the influence of ECM stiffness on BC metastasis and drug resistance. We provide an overview of the relative signal transduction mechanisms, existing metastasis models, and targeted drug strategies centered around ECM stiffness. It will shed light on exploring more underlying targets and developing specific drugs aimed at ECM utilizing biomimetic platforms, which are promising for breast cancer treatment.
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