title: Chemotherapy in heterogeneous cultures of cancer cells with interconversion.
abstract: Recently, the interconversion between differentiated and stem-like cancer cells has been observed. Here, we model the in vitro growth of heterogeneous cell cultures in the presence of interconversion from differentiated cancer cells to cancer stem cells (CSCs), showing that, by targeting only CSC with cytotoxic agents, it is not always possible to eradicate cancer. We have determined the kinetic conditions under which cytotoxic agents in in vitro heterogeneous cultures of cancer cells eradicate cancer. In particular, we have shown that the chemotherapeutic elimination of in vitro cultures of heterogeneous cancer cells is effective only if it targets all cancer cell types, and if the induced death rates for the different subpopulations of cancer cell types are large enough. The quantitative results of the model are compared and validated with experimental data.
authors.affiliation: University of Lisbon, Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal. Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, 35, route de Chartres, F-91440 Bures-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dilão
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents