Baish J W, Jain R K
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837, USA.
Cancer Res. 2000 Jul 15;60(14):3683-8.
Recent studies have shown that fractal geometry, a vocabulary of irregular shapes, can be useful for describing the pathological architecture of tumors and, perhaps more surprisingly, for yielding insights into the mechanisms of tumor growth and angiogenesis that complement those obtained by modern molecular methods. This article outlines the basic methods of fractal geometry and discusses the value and limitations of applying this new tool to cancer research.
最近的研究表明，分形几何学，一种描述不规则形状的方法，可用于描述肿瘤的病理结构，而且或许更令人惊讶的是，还能有助于深入了解肿瘤生长和血管生成的机制，这对现代分子方法所获得的认识起到补充作用。本文概述了分形几何学的基本方法，并讨论了将这一新工具应用于癌症研究的价值和局限性。
