1University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 2Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States
We outline a new model for the proliferation and necrosis of glioblastoma multiforme. Our approach uniquely accounts both for the anisotropic migration of tumor cells through brain parenchyma and for central tumor necrosis. Model parameters relating to cell division, cell migration, and tumor necrosis are estimated directly from serial MR imaging to generate a customized growth profile for each tumor. The proposed model is shown to replicate observed tumor growth more closely than existing techniques. We anticipate that improved modeling of tumor growth profiles will enable more effective tailoring of treatment regimens.
