van Leeuwen I M M, Zonneveld C, Kooijman S A L M
Department of Theoretical Biology, Faculty of Earth & Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Br J Cancer. 2003 Dec 15;89(12):2254-63. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6601394.
The growth potential of a tumour can significantly depend on host features such as age, cell proliferation rates and caloric intake. Although this is widely known, existing mathematical models for tumour growth do not account for it. We therefore developed a new model for tumour growth, starting from a mathematical framework that describes the host's physiology. The resulting tumour-in-host model allowed us to study the implications of various specific interactions between the energetics of tumour and host. The model accounts for the influence of both age and feeding regimen of the host organism on the behaviour of a tumour. Concerning the effects of a tumour on its host, it explains why tumour-mediated body-weight loss is often more dramatic than expected from the energy demands of the tumour. We also show how the model can be applied to study enhanced body-weight loss in presence of cachectic factors. Our tumour-in-host model thus appears a proper tool to unite a wide range of phenomena in tumour-host interactions.
肿瘤的生长潜力在很大程度上可能取决于宿主特征，如年龄、细胞增殖率和热量摄入。尽管这一点广为人知，但现有的肿瘤生长数学模型并未考虑到这一点。因此，我们从一个描述宿主生理学的数学框架出发，开发了一种新的肿瘤生长模型。由此产生的宿主-肿瘤模型使我们能够研究肿瘤与宿主能量学之间各种特定相互作用的影响。该模型考虑了宿主生物体的年龄和喂养方式对肿瘤行为的影响。关于肿瘤对其宿主的影响，它解释了为什么肿瘤介导的体重减轻往往比根据肿瘤的能量需求所预期的更为显著。我们还展示了该模型如何应用于研究存在恶病质因素时体重减轻加剧的情况。因此，我们的宿主-肿瘤模型似乎是一个整合肿瘤-宿主相互作用中广泛现象的合适工具。
