Mathematical modeling of the metastatic process

TL;DR

This paper reviews mathematical models of cancer metastasis, covering tumor spread, dormancy, and phenotypic changes, highlighting their role in understanding metastatic progression and potential therapeutic insights.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of computational and mathematical models specifically focused on various aspects of the metastatic process in cancer.

Findings

Models elucidate emergence of metastatic phenotype

Insights into timing and size distribution of metastases

Factors influencing dormancy and spread patterns

Abstract

Mathematical modeling in cancer has been growing in popularity and impact since its inception in 1932. The first theoretical mathematical modeling in cancer research was focused on understanding tumor growth laws and has grown to include the competition between healthy and normal tissue, carcinogenesis, therapy and metastasis. It is the latter topic, metastasis, on which we will focus this short review, specifically discussing various computational and mathematical models of different portions of the metastatic process, including: the emergence of the metastatic phenotype, the timing and size distribution of metastases, the factors that influence the dormancy of micrometastases and patterns of spread from a given primary tumor.