Tissue mechanopathology of cancer

Cancers are complex cellular communities comprising tumor cells and their microenvironment. Recent advances in cancer biology have emerged from efforts to analyze tumors as tissues, in which emergent properties arise as tumor cells interact with one another, their microenvironment, and the host tissue. In this review, we consider interactions involving mechanical forces and mechanosignaling pathways that detect changes in physical inputs to regulate cellular behavior. This rapidly developing field provides perspectives for understanding cancer biology and tumor interactions with the host ecosystem.