Ensemble Optimal Control for Managing Drug Resistance in Cancer Therapies
by Alessandro Scagliotti; Federico Scagliotti; Laura Deborah Locati; Federico Sottotetti
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Cancer treatment often relies on the highest dose a patient can tolerate, but this may not be the best way to control tumors over time. This study uses mathematical modeling to explore a different approach: managing the balance between drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cancer cells. By simulating prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy, the authors show how treatment timing could be adapted rather than kept continuously high. The proposed “Off-On” adaptive therapy starts with observation and introduces treatment only when needed, aiming to keep the disease under long-term control. The work suggests that smarter schedules, not simply more drug, may improve chronic cancer management.
Image Description: Left: Ensemble optimal control approach. Center: On-Off Adaptive Therapy. Right: Off-On Adaptive Therapy.
