Stiff cellular environment links obesity to breast cancer

Malignant human cells grow more quickly on rigid material from fat mice

Fat cells in obese mice modify nearby proteins, creating a rigid environment that increases cancer cells’ ability to grow and spread, a new study finds.

When placed on stiff extracellular material taken from obese mice, human breast cancer cells and precancerous cells grew more rapidly, scientists report August 19 in Science Translational Medicine.