The mechanical problems in tumor and tumor microenvironment

Tumor microenvironment contains tumor cells, stromal cells and extracellular matrix, which plays an important role in tumor growth and development. The tumor microenvironment has its unique structural features. Physical forces in tumors can change the tumor microenvironment, disable the blood and lymphatic vessels, result in the abnormal metabolism, compress the interstitial structure, hinder the delivery of drugs, and induce stromal cells to change their behavior and promote tumor metastasis. So the forces in tumor have attracted increasing attention. In this review, we summarize the advances of mechanics problems in tumor and its microenvironments. We discuss the causes of solid stress, drug delivery and tumor metastasis. Also we introduce several strategies to restore the tumor microenvironments and their effects on tumor therapy.