Why cancer drugs can’t take the pressure

A major reason why cancer drugs fail is that they cannot penetrate the high-pressure environment of solid tumors. A new study reveals that hyaluronic acid is primarily responsible for generating elevated gel-fluid pressures in tumors. In a mouse model of pancreatic cancer, treatment with an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronic acid normalized fluid pressure in tumors and allowed vessels to re-expand, thereby overcoming a major barrier to drug delivery.