Optimal control analysis of combined chemotherapy-immunotherapy treatment regimens in a PKPD cancer evolution model

Abstract

The author constructs a mathematical model capturing tumor-immune dynamics, incorporating the evolution of drug resistance, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of administered drugs, and immunotherapy possibilities. Numerical simulations are performed to analyze the model under a variety of treatment possibilities. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the parameters contributing the most to the variance in effector cell, resistant, and sensitive tumor cell populations. Then, a detailed optimal control analysis is performed, along with a numerical simulation of optimal treatment profiles for a hypothetical patient.