Optimal Control Theory for Personalized Therapeutic Regimens in Oncology: Background, History, Challenges, and Opportunities.

ABSTRACT: Optimal control theory is branch of mathematics that aims to optimize a solution to a dynamical system. While the concept of using optimal control theory to improve treatment regimens in oncology is not novel, many of the early applications of this mathematical technique were not designed to work with routinely available data or produce results that can eventually be translated to the clinical setting. The purpose of this review is to discuss clinically relevant considerations for formulating and solving optimal control problems for treating cancer patients. Our review focuses on two of the most widely used cancer treatments, radiation therapy and systemic therapy, as they naturally lend themselves to optimal control theory as a means to personalize therapeutic plans in a rigorous fashion.

SUBMITTER: Jarrett AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7290915 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature