[Frontiers in Bioscience E4, 401-409, January 1, 2012]

Microdialysis: improving local chemotherapy in cancer using a mathematical model

Filipe Correia Martins1,2,4, Jose Luis Santos3, Carlos Freire de Oliveira1,2  

1Gynaecological Department, University Hospital of Coimbra, Portugal, 2CIMAGO, Coimbra Medical School, Portugal, 3CMUC, Department of Mathematics, University of Coimbra, Portugal, 4Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Mathematical model which supports microdialysis as a chemotherapy delivery method
3.1. Assumptions, parameters and basis of the model
3.2. Mathematical model - equations and graphs
3.3. Determining Cm, tm and k in each tumor
4. Drug kinetics using different administration routes and toxicity minimization
5. Tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance
6. Therapeutic applications
7. Summary and perspective - short way from the animal model to the clinical use
8. Acknowledgements
9. References

1. ABSTRACT

Although intratumoral chemotherapy administration has been evaluated in the past, its results have not been frequently comparable to those from systemic administration. We recently described microdialysis as a method for local chemotherapy administration with increasing effectiveness while reducing systemic toxicity. We present a mathematical model which supports the successful application of this procedure in optimizing the administered drug in different cases, using informatics tools and considering several parameters. We also review and discuss important aspects of cancer biology that should be taken into consideration in cancer chemotherapy, such as tumor heterogeneity, drug resistance and metastasis, and how this technique may be used to overcome any set-backs presented by these.