title: Self-organization and competition in the immune response to cancer invasion: a phase-orientated computational model of oncogenesis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies indicate that fractal dimensions can uncover aspects of cellular dynamics prior to pathological manifestation. In this respect we are interested in building a computational model of oncogenesis able to generate patterns with the same fractal dimension spectrum as the in vivo tumor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A new theoretical model incorporating a systemic view of oncogenesis in a computational model was proposed. The tumor growth is viewed as competition for resources between the two self-organizing subsystems: the neoplastic and the immune. Numerical simulations revealed that tumor escape can be uncovered in some earlier stage of the immune-system-tumor interaction using multifractal measures. The described computational model is able to simulate also the case of immune, surgical, chemical and radiotherapeutical treatment, as well as their effects.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  T The software used is available on request from the authors.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Sorinel Oprisan, University of New Orleans, Department of Psychology, Ne w Orleans, LA 70148, USA. soprisan@uno.edu
authors.affiliation: Al.I. Cuza University, Department of Theoretical Physics, Iaşi, Romania. soprisan@uno.edu
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Oprişan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ardelean
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Frangopol
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000276:immunology*