Introduction to Mathematical Oncology

Chapter 6

Resource Competition and Cell Quota in Cancer Models

6.1 Introduction

In its early growth phase, a malignant tumor often exhibits rapid growth due primarily to a high proliferation rate. Although this may not be true for all cancers (see [11]), rapid proliferation must be fueled by abundant resources. As the tumor expands, it is widely thought that competition for resources tends to increase, because more cells compete for fewer resources as tumor vasculature becomes increasingly deranged. As a result, tumor growth rate tends to decrease as the tumor ages and key resources become limiting (see Chapter 2). This limitation also provides the impetus for a long lasting and intensive evolutionary process that enables cancer cells to eventually ...