The mechanical interaction between cancer spheroids and the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role in tumor invasion. In this study, we investigated the invasive behavior of cancer spheroids embedded in a three-dimensional collagen ECM of fixed concentration. By applying digital volume correlation (DVC) analysis to time-lapse volumetric images, we visualized the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of strain fields around the invading spheroids. In addition, fiber orientation analysis was employed to evaluate ECM structural changes in response to invasion. The results demonstrated that active protrusive regions exhibited localized high strain and reoriented collagen fibers. These findings suggest that mechanical strain and ECM fiber orientation can serve as sensitive indicators of tumor invasion dynamics in 3D culture systems.
Dong et al. (Wed,) studied this question.