A hyperbolic free boundary problem modeling tumor growth (Q1395975)

A three-population model for tumor growth is considered, in which cells can be proliferating \((P)\), quiescent \((Q)\), dead \((D)\). Let \(\Omega(t)\) be the domain occupied by the tumor. The nutrient concentration \(C\) is supposed to satisfy the equation \[ \nabla^2 C-\lambda C=0\quad\text{in }\Omega(t),\qquad C=C_0\quad \text{on }\partial \Omega (t), \] which can be solved independently of the internal structure of the tumor. The local value of \(C\) determines the transition rates within the system: \(K_Q(C)\), increasing \((P\to Q);K_p(C)\), decreasing \((Q\to P); K_D\) decreasing \((Q\to D); K_A (C)\) decreasing \((P\to D)\). The proliferation rate \(K_B\) is increasing with \(C\). Dead cells are removed at a constant rate \(K_Q\). The three populations have the same velocity \(\overrightarrow{v}\) which is assumed to satisfy Darcy's law \[ \overrightarrow{v}=\nabla \sigma, \] the pressure \(\sigma\) on the boundary being specified by surface tension. Using \(P+Q+D=N=\)const. the model is reduced to a system of two first order PDEs for \(P,Q\) and an elliptic equation for \(\sigma\) (besides the independent equation for \(C\)). The problem is considered in spherical symmetry. Under some mild assumptions on the rates \(K_i\) and on the initial data existence and uniqueness are proved in two steps (first locally and then globally in time). A priori bounds are established for the size of the tumor. The paper is concluded by the analysis of the extreme cases \(K_R=0, K_R=\infty\) (i.e. dead cells not removed or instantly removed).