Abstract
In this didactic paper, we present a theoretical modeling framework, called the G-function, that integrates both the ecology and evolution of cancer to understand oncogenesis. The G-function has been used in evolutionary ecology, but has not been widely applied to problems in cancer. Here, we build the G-function framework from fundamental Darwinian principles and discuss how cancer can be seen through the lens of ecology, evolution, and game theory. We begin with a simple model of cancer growth and add on components of cancer cell competition and drug resistance. To aid in exploration of eco-evolutionary modeling with this approach, we also present a user-friendly software tool. By the end of this paper, we hope that readers will be able to construct basic G function models and grasp the usefulness of the framework to understand the games cancer plays in a biologically mechanistic fashion.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 109 |
Journal | Medical Oncology |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2023 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Cancer Research
Keywords
- Cancer evolution
- Eco-evolutionary dynamics
- Evolutionary game theory
- Mathematical modeling
- Resistance