The Growth of Healthy and Cancerous Tissues

Abstract

The structure of the tissues is formed in a self-similar manner, forming fractal structures in their transport networks. The structure exhibits allometric forming and so-called scaling behavior. This is a basic growth model fine-tuned by various connections of the cells (junctions and adherent connections), intended to direct material and energy transports between them. This secondary control of cell metabolism decreases primary metabolic transport through the free surfaces of the cells. The cellular network is formed by triggering the endogenous electric fields, which are dominantly governed by cell membrane potential. Proliferation exhibits a different electric pattern due to the low cell-membrane potential and resulting negativity relative to its environment. This potential change characterizes cells in normal proliferation and a cluster of cells (a tumor) in the case of cancerous development. This latter has certain similarities to the leakage transport of liquid in porous media, substituting the pressure with endogenous tumor potential. The average survival of a tumor depends on the kind of available metabolic transport and the fractal dimensions of the newly built angiogenic network.