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Review
. 2020 Jan-Dec;27(1):1073274820962008.
doi: 10.1177/1073274820962008.

How Should Cancer Models Be Constructed?

Robert A Beckman  1 , Irina Kareva  2 , Frederick R Adler  3   4
Affiliations
Review

How Should Cancer Models Be Constructed?

Robert A Beckman et al. Cancer Control. 2020 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Choosing and optimizing treatment strategies for cancer requires capturing its complex dynamics sufficiently well for understanding but without being overwhelmed. Mathematical models are essential to achieve this understanding, and we discuss the challenge of choosing the right level of complexity to address the full range of tumor complexity from growth, the generation of tumor heterogeneity, and interactions within tumors and with treatments and the tumor microenvironment. We discuss the differences between conceptual and descriptive models, and compare the use of predator-prey models, evolutionary game theory, and dynamic precision medicine approaches in the face of uncertainty about mechanisms and parameter values. Although there is of course no one-size-fits-all approach, we conclude that broad and flexible thinking about cancer, based on combined modeling approaches, will play a key role in finding creative and improved treatments.

Keywords: cancer ecology; cancer ecology and evolution; cancer evolution; mathematical oncology; theoretical models.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. IK is an employee of EMD Serono, US subsidiary of Merck, KGaA. Views expressed in this paper are the authors’ personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of EMD Serono. RAB is a stockholder in Johnson & Johnson. He is or recently was a consultant for AstraZeneca, EMD Serono, CStone, Zymeworks, and Vertex, and is Chief Scientific Officer of Onco-Mind, LLC.

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