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Figure S6 from The Goldilocks Window of Personalized Chemotherapy: Getting the Immune Response Just Right

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posted on 2023-03-31, 02:42 authored by Derek S. Park, Mark Robertson-Tessi, Kimberly A. Luddy, Philip K. Maini, Michael B. Bonsall, Robert A. Gatenby, Alexander R.A. Anderson

Expanded model parameter analysis for memory cell growth rates. Greater memory cell expansion leads to a larger Goldilocks treatment window and a greater possible reduction in tumor sizes.

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ARTICLE ABSTRACT

The immune system is a robust and often untapped accomplice of many standard cancer therapies. A majority of tumors exist in a state of immune tolerance where the patient's immune system has become insensitive to the cancer cells. Because of its lymphodepleting effects, chemotherapy has the potential to break this tolerance. To investigate this, we created a mathematical modeling framework of tumor-immune dynamics. Our results suggest that optimal chemotherapy scheduling must balance two opposing objectives: maximizing tumor reduction while preserving patient immune function. Successful treatment requires therapy to operate in a “Goldilocks Window” where patient immune health is not overly compromised. By keeping therapy “just right,” we show that the synergistic effects of immune activation and chemotherapy can maximize tumor reduction and control. To maximize the synergy between chemotherapy and antitumor immune response, lymphodepleting therapy must be balanced in a “Goldilocks Window” of optimal dosing.