Fig. 2

Schematic depiction of Tumor-Associated Collagen Signatures (TACSs) during breast cancer progression. This figure illustrates the evolving patterns of collagen organization, known as TACSs, in breast cancer’s tumor microenvironment. The “Native collagen structure” panel shows the baseline arrangement of collagen fibers. TACS-1 depicts dense collagen surrounding emerging tumor, TACS-2 illustrates straightened collagen fibers stretched around the tumor, suggesting tumor growth and increased volume. Finally, TACS-3 shows radially aligned collagen fibers associated with tumor cell invasion, potentially indicating invasive growth