Networks under influence

To grow, a tumor needs nutrients, oxygen... and blood vessels.
In this image captured by K. Hodivala-Dilke, we can see one of these vessels infiltrating the heart of tumor tissue, a veritable superhighway of resources at the service of cancerous proliferation.

This process, known as angiogenesis, is stimulated by the tumor itself. But the vessels thus created are often disorganized, permeable and chaotic, a vascular disorder that facilitates the dissemination of tumor cells and complicates the effectiveness of treatments.

This is why angiogenesis is today a major therapeutic target: blocking the flow of blood means slowing tumor expansion.

Here, each red blood cell becomes an ambivalent symbol, a messenger of life or an unwitting accomplice to the invasion.

What this image shows us is a critical moment: one in which the body unknowingly contributes to its own imbalance.