Interactions of platelets with circulating tumor cells contribute to cancer metastasis

Sina Anvari; Ernest Osei; Nima Maftoon

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94735-y

Interactions of platelets with circulating tumor cells contribute to cancer metastasis

Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 29;11(1):15477. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94735-y.

Authors

Sina Anvari^{1

2}, Ernest Osei^{1

3

4

5}, Nima Maftoon^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
² Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
³ Department of Medical Physics, Grand River Regional Cancer Centre, Kitchener, ON, Canada.
⁴ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
⁵ Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
⁶ Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada. nmaftoon@uwaterloo.ca.
⁷ Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. nmaftoon@uwaterloo.ca.

Abstract

Recent studies have suggested that platelets have a crucial role in enhancing the survival of circulating tumor cells in the bloodstream and aggravating cancer metastasis. The main function of platelets is to bind to the sites of the damaged vessels to stop bleeding. However, in cancer patients, activated platelets adhere to circulating tumor cells and exacerbate metastatic spreading. Several hypotheses have been proposed about the platelet-cancer cell interactions, but the underlying mechanisms of these interactions are not completely understood yet. In this work, we quantitatively investigated the interactions between circulating tumor cells, red blood cells, platelets, plasma flow and microvessel walls via computational modelling at the cellular scale. Our highly detailed computational model allowed us to understand and quantitatively explain the role of platelets in deformation, adhesion and survival of tumor cells in their active arrest to the endothelium.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biophysics
Blood Coagulation
Blood Platelets / metabolism*
Cell Adhesion
Cell Proliferation
Computational Biology / methods
Computer Simulation
Endothelium / pathology
Humans
Microcirculation
Models, Statistical
Neoplasm Metastasis
Neoplasms / pathology*
Neoplastic Cells, Circulating*
Shear Strength