A mathematical model of low grade gliomas treated with temozolomide and its therapeutical implications

Abstract

Low grade gliomas (LGGs) are infiltrative and incurable primary brain tumours with typically slow evolution. These tumours usually occur in young and otherwise healthy patients, bringing controversies in treatment planning since aggressive treatment may lead to undesirable side effects. Thus, for management decisions it would be valuable to obtain early estimates of LGG growth potential. Here we propose a simple mathematical model of LGG growth and its response to chemotherapy which allows the growth of LGGs to be described in real patients. The model predicts, and our clinical data confirms, that the speed of response to chemotherapy is related to tumour aggressiveness. Moreover, we provide a formula for the time to radiological progression, which can be possibly used as a measure of tumour aggressiveness. Finally, we suggest that the response to a few chemotherapy cycles upon diagnosis might be used to predict tumour growth and to guide therapeutical actions on the basis of the findings.