Letter to Editor
Computational Models of Pancreatic Cancer
Alan Kawarai Lefor*
Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical Simulation Center, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
*Corresponding author: Alan Kawarai Lefor, Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical Simulation Center, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan
Published: 16 Nov, 2017
Cite this article as: Lefor AK. Computational Models of
Pancreatic Cancer. Clin Surg. 2017; 2:
1739
Letter to Editor
There have been significant efforts recently to bring the knowledge and methods used in
physical sciences into oncology, in an effort to improve the outcomes for patients with malignancies.
“Computational Oncology” uses computational methods and analysis to better understand
the genesis of malignancies, as well as to optimize therapeutic approaches. There are three basic
approaches including mechanistic models which model individual cellular processes, cellular
models which bring together mechanistic models to model the whole cell, and descriptive models to
model tumor growth in a patient [1]. Each of these has their advantages and disadvantages, and each
of these can provide insight into the mechanisms of tumor growth and metastasis.
Our research is focused on a descriptive model, using diffusion and proliferation terms to
understand the growth of tumors in a patient. This model has been adapted from a model developed
for glioblastoma multiforme, which has been successfully applied clinically [2]. As this model is
developed, we are planning to apply it to the growth of hepatic metastases from pancreatic cancer.