Fig. 1From: “Patchiness” in mechanical stiffness across a tumor as an early-stage marker for malignancy(a) Mechanical phenotypic diversity in a healthy tissue, forming a spatially homogeneous tissue (b) Mechanically similar cells are in close proximity with one another, forming a spatially heterogeneous tissue, (c) Based on spatial arrangement and mechanical variation within the tissue, some cells are able to replicate at a faster rate, overtaking the tissue and migrating through the basement membraneBack to article page