Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40211368›Full record

ReviewExperimental hematology & oncology2025

Extracellular matrix stiffness: mechanisms in tumor progression and therapeutic potential in cancer.

Meiling Zhang, Bin Zhang

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Experimental hematology & oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 163 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
163citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

163 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Identification and assessment ofOncology letters · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review

103 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Meiling ZhangSchool of Basic Medicine, China Three Gorges University, 8 Daxue Road, Yichang, 443002, Hubei, China.
Bin ZhangSchool of Basic Medicine, China Three Gorges University, 8 Daxue Road, Yichang, 443002, Hubei, China. xld_Jane_Eyre@126.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex ecosystem composed of both cellular and non-cellular components that surround tumor tissue. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a key component of the TME, performing multiple essential functions by providing mechanical support, shaping the TME, regulating metabolism and signaling, and modulating immune responses, all of which profoundly influence cell behavior. The quantity and cross-linking status of stromal components are primary determinants of tissue stiffness. During tumor development, ECM stiffness not only serves as a barrier to hinder drug delivery but also promotes cancer progression by inducing mechanical stimulation that activates cell membrane receptors and mechanical sensors. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of how ECM stiffness regulates tumor progression is crucial for identifying potential therapeutic targets for cancer. This review examines the effects of ECM stiffness on tumor progression, encompassing proliferation, migration, metastasis, drug resistance, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), immune evasion, stemness, metabolic reprogramming, and genomic stability. Finally, we explore therapeutic strategies that target ECM stiffness and their implications for tumor progression.

Indexed as

Cancer therapyExtracellular matrixMechanical sensorStiffnessTumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID40211368
PMCPMC11984264

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.