A switched systems approach to cancer therapy

In this paper, we propose a systematic cancer therapy strategy, which is based on switching between successive parameter dependent domains of attraction. More specifically, we address the problem of steering a stable invasive tumor to tumor dormancy. A predator-prey model from the literature is considered for describing the tumor-normal cells interaction. For computing the domain of attraction of an equilibrium of interest, maximal rational Lyapunov functions are employed, which can be systematically computed for nonlinear systems. The proposed procedure confirms observations from medical practice and provides a useful tool for cancer therapy design and testing.