Cells Metastasize According to Particular Tumor Environment

Scientists at the University of California San Diego say they found out how the environment surrounding a tumor can lead to metastatic behavior in cancer cells. Specifically, when tumor cells are confined in a dense environment, the researchers discovered that they turn on a particular set of genes and begin to form structures that resemble blood vessels. In the past, physicians observed these blood vessel-like structures in the clinic—a phenomenon called vascular mimicry, which is as