Tumour progression simulation

Tumour progression simulation simulates tumour growth dynamics at the penultimate stage of progression to compare effects of cytotoxic and cytostatic therapies by modeling cellular competition that alters birth and death rates and the acquisition of driver mutations and metastasis potential.

Key Features:

• Mathematical Modeling: Implements a mathematical model of cellular competition that modifies birth and death rates to represent the penultimate stage of tumour progression.
• Therapeutic Intervention Simulation: Simulates cytotoxic therapies (increasing death rates) and cytostatic therapies (decreasing birth rates) while maintaining a constant net reduction in tumour growth for direct comparison.
• Evolutionary Dynamics Analysis: Models evolutionary dynamics under therapy to assess progression toward additional driver mutations and metastasis.
• Optimal Therapy Conditions: Derives conditions under which one therapeutic approach outperforms another and quantifies potential gains from selecting optimal treatments.
• Parameter Sensitivity Analysis: Explores sensitivity to parameters such as driver mutation rates, metastasis potential, and intrinsic cell birth and death rates.

Scientific Applications:

• Treatment Optimization: Inform selection of cytotoxic versus cytostatic strategies based on modeled tumour characteristics and predicted outcomes.
• Understanding Tumour Dynamics: Elucidate how cellular competition, driver mutations, and birth/death rate changes shape tumour progression.
• Research and Development: Support development of new therapeutic approaches by predicting their potential impacts prior to clinical application.

Methodology:

Set initial conditions from intrinsic cellular parameters; apply a mathematical model of cellular competition affecting birth and death rates at the penultimate progression stage; simulate cytotoxic (increased death) and cytostatic (decreased birth) therapies with a constant net reduction in tumour growth; derive conditions under which one therapy outperforms another.