Modeling subspecies and the tumor-immune system interaction: Steps toward understanding therapy

A mesoscopic nutrient competition model for cancer growth is generalized to describe the growth of a heterogeneous tumor and the interactions between the tumor and the immune system. Our simulations show that the success of a mutation depends not only on its intrinsic competitive advantages, but also on its location in the tumor mass. It is also shown that the simple killing of tumor cells by immune cells, even when their activity is increased by therapy, is not sufficient to stem tumor growth, but another mechanism (such as pinning) is needed for a successful therapy.