Does cancer growth depend on surface extension?

SummaryWe argue that volumetric growth dynamics of a solid cancer depend on the tumor system’s overall surface extension. While this at first may seem evident, to our knowledge, so far no theoretical argument has been presented explaining this relationship explicitly. In here, we therefore develop a conceptual framework based on the so-called ‘universal scaling law’ and then support our conjecture through evaluation with experimental data. Our concept suggests not only that cancer tissue invasion operates with relatively few and thin branches of mobile cells but also that this overall tumor surface expansion, and the diffusion of nutrients that it enables, can nourish the tumor prior to the impact of neovascularization.