Tumours yield to pressure relief

摘要

Lethal pancreatic tumours can be rendered sensitive to chemotherapy by degrading a sugar-based matrix in the tumour that boosts fluid pressure and prevents the inward flow of blood. Sunil Hingorani at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, and his team show that pancreatic tumours in mice have much higher fluid pressures than healthy mouse pancreases owing to high levels of a sugar-based polymer produced by the tumours.