A mathematical model for microenvironmental control of tumor growth

A. R. Galante, D. Levy, C. Tomasetti

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

One of the most intriguing questions related to cancer is why approximately two out of three people never develop cancer? It has been proposed that this variability in cancer resistance may be due to differences in the efficiency of certain protective mechanisms, which are known to inhibit the growth of neoplastic cells. Here we focus on the mechanism known as microenvironmental control. There is a large amount of evidence that a majority of disseminated tumor cells present in the human body never develop into clinical tumors, and that the direct physical contact between normal and tumoral cells appears to be a necessary condition for such resistance to cancer. By using a system of ordinary differential equations, we model contact-controlled tumor growth and are able to simulate the three expected modes of growth: expansive, contractive and stable, thus mathematically supporting the feasibility of microenvironmental control.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication26th Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference SBEC 2010
Pages213-216
Number of pages4
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 8 2010
Externally publishedYes
Event26th Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference, SBEC 2010 - College Park, MD, United States
Duration: Apr 30 2010May 2 2010

Publication series

NameIFMBE Proceedings
Volume32 IFMBE
ISSN (Print)1680-0737

Other

Other26th Southern Biomedical Engineering Conference, SBEC 2010
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityCollege Park, MD
Period4/30/105/2/10

Keywords

  • Cancer
  • Cancer Resistance
  • Microenvironmental Control
  • Ordinary Differential Equations

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Biomedical Engineering

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