New model predicts tumor development
Researchers have developed a mathematical model that predicts how a cancer grows.
Being able to “fast-forward” the process (in theory, of course) means that doctors can design treatments that are better tailored to individual cancers.
Some tumors stop growing once they’ve reached a certain size. Some continue to grow. And as they do, the network of blood vessels that feeds them – and helps them spread – becomes more extensive.
But how do you predict which tumors will lie dormant and which will spread? New Scientist reports.
A team of physicists and mathematicians led by Sehyo Choe of Heidelberg University analyzed detailed images of mouse tumors and the blood vessels that feed them – at different stages of development. Then they plugged those details into equations that describe the interactions among healthy cells, cancer cells, and the surrounding blood vessels.
The result is a model that predicts corridors of likely tumor growth using the distribution of blood vessels around the tumor, Choe says.
When applied to mice, in all cases it was able to predict how their cancer would progress. "It's like having a fast-forward button," he says.
The model should one day help identify which blood vessels to remove to limit a tumor's growth.
"In the future, treatments will no longer have to be based on population averages. People will get individual treatment based on the predictions of our model," says study coauthor Neil Johnson from the University of Miami.
The work was published in Scientific Reports. Via New Scientist.
Image of math by cohdra via morgueFile
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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com