Analysis of the possible pathways of cancer cell repopulation after irradiation in vitro

Abstract

The study of the pathways of cancer stem cell (CSC) repopulation after therapeutic exposure is of great importance for planning effective therapy schemes. In this work, a mathematical model of the proliferation of a population of cancer cells after irradiation is developed, taking into account the presence of three subpopulations (differentiated cancer cells, CSCs, and senescent cells), the plasticity of malignant cells (dedifferentiation, transition of non-stem cells to a stem state), and the transition of cells to a senescent state following irradiation. It is shown that the phenomenon of an increase in the fraction of CSCs after irradiation, observed in the in vitro experiment on MCF-7 breast cancer cells, can be explained by symmetrical division of CSCs and dedifferentiation of non-stem cancer cells.