Mathematical model creation for cancer chemo-immunotherapy (Q634409)

Summary: One of the most challenging tasks in constructing a mathematical model of cancer treatment is the calculation of biological parameters from empirical data. This task becomes increasingly difficult if a model involves several cell populations and treatment modalities. A sophisticated model constructed by the first author et al., [``Mixed immunotherapy and chemotherapy of tumours: modelling, applications and biological interpretations'', J. Theor. Biol. 238, No. 4, 841--862 (2006; \url{doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2005.06.037})]; involves tumour cells, specific and non-specific immune cells (natural killer (NK) cells, CD8\(^{+}\)T cells and other lymphocytes) and employs chemotherapy and two types of immunotherapy (IL-2 supplementation and CD8\(^{+}\)T-cell infusion) as treatment modalities. Despite the overall success of the aforementioned model, the problem of illustrating the effects of IL-2 on a growing tumour remains open. In this paper, we update the model of [loc. cit.] and then carefully identify appropriate values for the parameters of the new model according to recent empirical data. We determine new NK and tumour antigen-activated CD8\(^{+}\)T-cell count equilibrium values; we complete IL-2 dynamics; and we modify the model in de Pillis et al. to allow for endogenous IL-2 production, IL-2-stimulated NK cell proliferation and IL-2-dependent CD8\(^{+}\)T-cell self-regulations. Finally, we show that the potential patient-specific efficacy of immunotherapy may be dependent on experimentally determinable parameters.