Mechanics of lung cancer: A finite element model shows strain amplification during early tumorigenesis.

ABSTRACT: Early lung cancer lesions develop within a unique microenvironment that undergoes constant cyclic stretch from respiration. While tumor stiffening is an established driver of tumor progression, the contribution of stress and strain to lung cancer is unknown. We developed tissue scale finite element models of lung tissue to test how early lesions alter respiration-induced strain. We found that an early tumor, represented as alveolar filling, amplified the strain experienced in the adjacent alveolar walls. Tumor stiffening further increased the amplitude of the strain in the adjacent alveolar walls and extended the strain amplification deeper into the normal lung. In contrast, the strain experienced in the tumor proper was less than the applied strain, although regions of amplification appea

SUBMITTER: Zitnay RG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9632844 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature