Strategies for tumor elimination and control under immune evasion and chemotherapy resistance

TL;DR

This paper develops mathematical models to understand tumor dynamics under immune evasion and chemotherapy resistance, aiming to inform better treatment strategies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theoretical framework modeling tumor-immune interactions and resistance mechanisms to optimize therapy design.

Findings

Identifies threshold conditions for tumor persistence and elimination.

Analyzes how immune evasion strategies affect treatment outcomes.

Provides insights into combination therapy strategies.

Abstract

The evolutionary and ecological dynamics of tumors under immune responses and therapeutic interventions pose major challenges to long-term treatment success. Although treatment may initially achieve short-term disease control, resistant cancer cell subpopulations often arise, leading to relapse with more aggressive and treatment-resistant forms of the disease. Here, we develop and analyze mathematical models describing the interactions among effector cells, chemo-resistant tumor cells, and immuno-resistant tumor cells under distinct immune-evasion strategies. The models incorporate competition and cooperation between resistant and sensitive tumor subpopulations. We identify threshold conditions governing tumor persistence, elimination, and phenotype dominance under varying therapeutic intensities. These findings provide a theoretical framework for designing targeted and combination therapies and offer insights into strategies for mitigating the treatment resistance.