title: Cancer: a profit-driven biosystem?
abstract: The argument is made that solid malignant tumors behave as profit-driven biological systems in that they expand their nutrient-uptaking surface to increase energetic revenue, at a comparably low metabolic cost. Within this conceptual framework, cancer cell migration is a critical mechanism as it maximizes systemic surface expansion while minimizing diffusion distance. Treating these tumor systems with adjuvant anti-proliferative regimen only should increase the energetic net gain of the viable cancer cells left behind, hence would facilitate tumor recurrence. Therapeutic attempts to better control tumor (re)growth should therefore aim primarily at containing its surface expansion, thus reducing its energetic revenue, or increasing its metabolic costs or better yet, both.
authors.affiliation: Complex Biosystems Modeling Laboratory, Harvard-MIT (HST) Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital-East, 2301, Building 149, 13th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. deisboec@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Deisboeck
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006801:Humans; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009154:Mutation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents