Targeting Tumors

Detection and treatment of cancer have progressed, but neither is
as precise as doctors would like. For example, tumors can change
shape or location between pre-operative diagnosis and treatment so
that radiation is aimed at a target which may have moved. Geometry,
partial differential equations, and integer linear programming are
three areas of mathematics used to process data in real-time, which
allows doctors to inflict maximum damage to the tumor, with minimum
damage to healthy tissue. One promising area of investigation is
virotherapy: using viruses to destroy cancerous cells. Researchers
are using mathematical models to discover how to use the viruses
most beneficially.The models provide numerical outcomes for each of
the many possibilities, thereby eliminating unsuccessful approaches
and identifying candidates for further experimentation.Testing by
simulation, which led to the development of anti-HIV cocktails,
means good medicine is developed faster and cheaper than it can be
by lab experiments and clinical trials alone. For More Information:
Treatment Planning for Brachytherapy, Eva Lee, et al, Physics in
Medicine and Biology, 1999.