Extracellular acidosis and cancer
Glitsch MD.
Solid tumours acidify their interstitial fluid by a number of diverse processes that result in net proton export. These include activity of monocarbonate and bicarbonate transporters, V-type ATPases, carbonic anhydrases and voltage-gated proton channels. The acidic extracellular microenvironment influences the activity of cancer, vascular endothelial and immune cells such that tumour growth is promoted although the exact signalling pathways are still only poorly understood. This chapter addresses how changes in extracellular proton concentration can affect cells in cancerous tissue.