Mechanical Conditioning (MeCo) Score Progressively Increases Through the Metastatic Cascade in Breast Cancer via Circulating Tumor Cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The mechanical conditioning (MeCo) score is a multigene expression signature that is acquired by cancer cells in the primary breast tumor and is reflective of their responsiveness to ECM stiffness caused by tumor fibrosis. Chromatin remodeling downstream of mechanotransduction allows cancer cells to retain these acquired aggressive features even in the absence of mechanical stimulation from the primary tumor microenvironment, for instance, after dissemination through systemic circulation during metastasis. Importantly, patients who have high MeCo score tumors are at higher risk of developing metastatic breast cancer, compared to those with low MeCo scores. Moreover, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are associated with a higher rate of metastatic dissemination, making CTC d

SUBMITTER: Mouneimne G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12109637 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature