title: Assessment of cancer immunotherapy outcome in terms of the immune response time features.
abstract: A cytokine-based periodic immunotherapy treatment is included in a model of tumour growth with a delay. The effects of dose schedule are studied in the case of a weak immune system and a growing tumour. We find the existence of 'metastable' states (that may last for tens of years) induced by the treatment and also potentially adverse effects of the dosage frequency on the stabilization of the tumour. These two effects depend on the delay between the tumour growth and the immune system response, the cytokine dose burden, and other parameters considered in the model.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física Matemática y de Fluidos, UNED, PO Box 60141, 28080 Madrid, Spain. daniel@dfmf.uned.es
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Pérez
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sotolongo-Grau
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Espinosa Riquelme
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sotolongo-Costa
authors.forename: J Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Santos Miranda
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Antoranz
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D007107:Immune System / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome