A Mathematical Model of Field Cancerization

I will be talking about some recent/ongoing work on a mathematical model of the ‘cancer field effect.’ This term refers to the clinical observation that at the time of tumor initiation, there can be multiple premalignant lesions in the surrounding tissue field, and the presence of these premalignant fields poses a serious risk for additional primary tumors to arise. Unfortunately, these premalignant tissue fields often appear histologically normal and are difficult to detect during diagnosis and surgery; thus mathematical modeling may provide useful clinical insights. In this talk I will discuss a spatial stochastic evolutionary model of the process of field cancerization and some recent results in the analysis of this model. If time permits, I will also discuss some work in progress regarding the application of this model to understanding recurrence risks in head and neck cancers.