Cancer Treatment Precision Strategies Through Optimal Control Theory

Date

2024-1

Type

Article

Journal title

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 5

Author(s)

Ahmed J. Abougarair

Pages

1261 - 1290

Abstract

Lung cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease, with diverse genetic, molecular, and cellular drivers that can vary significantly between individual patients and even within a single tumor. Though combination therapy is becoming more common in the treatment of cancer, it can be challenging to predict how various treatment modalities will interact and what negative effects they may have on a patient's health, such as increased gastrointestinal toxicities, or neurological problems. This paper aims to regulate immunity to tumor therapy by utilizing optimal control theory (OCT). This research suggests a malignant tumor model that can be regulated with a combination of immunological, vaccine, and chemotherapeutic therapy. The optimal control variables are employed to support the best possible treatment plan with the fewest potential side effects by reducing the production of new tumor cells and keeping the number of normal cells above the average carrying capacity. Also, the study addresses patient heterogeneity, individual variations in tumor biology, and immune responses for both young and old cancer patients. Finding the right doses for a treatment that works is the main goal. To do this, we conducted a comparative analysis of two optimum control approaches: the Single Network Adaptive Critic (SNAC) approach, which directly applies the notion of reinforcement learning to the essential conditions for optimality and the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) methodology. Although the study's results show the promise of precision treatment plans, a number of significant obstacles must be overcome before these tactics can be successfully applied in clinical settings. It will be necessary to make considerable adjustments to the healthcare system's infrastructure in order to successfully offer personalized treatment regimens. This includes enhanced interdisciplinary care coordination methods, safe data management systems.