Heterotypic interfacial tension between oncogenic and wild-type populations forms the mechanical basis of tissue-specific oncogenesis in epithelia

Why does the same oncogenic mutation drive tumor formation in some tissues but not in others? While cancer driver mutations are well documented, their tissue-specific effects remain largely attributed to genetic factors, leaving the biophysical aspects underexplored. Here, we demonstrate that mechanical interactions between newly transformed and wild-type cells are critical in determining survival…