A mathematical model of drug resistance: heterogeneous tumors.

A mathematical model is developed to describe the growth and control of a heterogeneous tumor. The main aspect of the model is that it takes into account induced drug resistance. The mathematical model is a system of two ordinary differential equations that describes the growth of the cancer along with the effects of chemotherapy. The model is analyzed to determine what some of the critical parameters are; how we determine an effective treatment; how combination chemotherapy should be delivered; and how this model may help us develop more effective cancer chemotherapeutic treatments.