Hybrid multiscale modeling of tumor growth with chemotherapeutic drug dispersion

Resumo

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by complex phenomena across multiple temporal and spa-
tial scales. Comprehending its growth dynamics is a challenge and may improve the understanding of underlying

mechanisms, and suggests more effective therapy protocols. In this context, mathematical and computational
modeling may provide insights into tumorigenesis, cancer growth, and response to drug treatments. In this work,
we develop a hybrid discrete-continuum model describing the avascular phase of cancer growth and incorporate
chemotherapeutic drugs acting in different phases of the cell cycle. The growth phenomenon occurs at three scales:
(i) at the tissue scale, partial differential equations model oxygen, drug, and growth factor dispersion; (ii) at the

cellular scale, an agent-based model describes transitions among phenotypic states of each tumor cell and mechan-
ical interactions among cells and the microenvironment; (iii) at the molecular level, ordinary differential equations

represent signaling pathways that regulate cellular metabolism, cell cycle, and cell proliferation. Computational

experiments demonstrate that the proposed modeling framework can be instrumental in the development of inno-
vative new treatments for cancer patients.