Abstract
Cancer induction and progression have been significant challenges faced by humanity. Several procedures and methods have been used to detect the different stages within the clinical setting. However, many of these clinical tests are geared towards biochemical cues. We investigated the resected tissues from three patients (one colorectal and two breast tissues) retrieved from a biobank. A slice from each sample was cut out, attached to a disc, and placed inside a Cypher VRS atomic force microscope. The cutout tissue was then hydrated with phosphate buffer saline. The indentation curves of the samples were then acquired and fit into the Derjaguin-Muller-Toporov model to extract the mechanical properties needed. The mean Young's modulus obtained for the colorectal normal biopsy was 3.31±5.32 MPa, while the corresponding value for the cancer cutout was 2.94±2.87 kPa. However, the mean values for the two breast tissues were 180.25±113.32 and 469.28±480.31 kPa. The corresponding average values of the Young's moduli distribution of the cancer section of the breast tissues were 48.61±87.06 and 32.22±12.01 kPa, respectively. This preliminary investigation reveals differences in indentation measurements between cancer and non-cancer tissue sections, and these differences also vary across different indentation spots within the tissues.