Physics – Biological Physics
Scientific paper
2007-10-05
Physics
Biological Physics
7 pages, 7 figures
Scientific paper
10.1140/epjb/e2008-00246-2
In the paper we investigate a mathematical model describing the growth of tumor in the presence of immune response of a host organism. The dynamics of tumor and immune cells is based on the generic Michaelis-Menten kinetics depicting interaction and competition between the tumor and the immune system. The appropriate phenomenological equation modeling cell-mediated immune surveillance against cancer is of the predator-prey form and exhibits bistability within a given choice of the immune response-related parameters. Under the influence of weak external fluctuations, the model may be analyzed in terms of a stochastic differential equation bearing the form of an overdamped Langevin-like dynamics in the external quasi-potential represented by a double well. We analyze properties of the system within the range of parameters for which the potential wells are of the same depth and when the additional perturbation, modeling a periodic treatment, is insufficient to overcome the barrier height and to cause cancer extinction. In this case the presence of a small amount of noise can positively enhance the treatment, driving the system to a state of tumor extinction. On the other hand, however, the same noise can give rise to return effects up to a stochastic resonance behavior. This observation provides a quantitative analysis of mechanisms responsible for optimization of periodic tumor therapy in the presence of spontaneous external noise. Studying the behavior of the extinction time as a function of the treatment frequency, we have also found the typical resonant activation effect: For a certain frequency of the treatment, there exists a minimum extinction time.
Fiasconaro Alessandro
Gudowska-Nowak Ewa
Ochab-Marcinek Anna
Spagnolo Bernardo
No associations
LandOfFree
Monitoring noise-resonant effects in cancer growth influenced by external fluctuations and periodic treatment does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Monitoring noise-resonant effects in cancer growth influenced by external fluctuations and periodic treatment, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Monitoring noise-resonant effects in cancer growth influenced by external fluctuations and periodic treatment will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-140341