Multiscale Computational Models of Cancer

Cancer is an inherently multiscale process, wherein genetic lesions at the sub-nuclear level propagate to changes in intracellular biochemistry, cell-level behaviors, and ultimately to tissue-scale interactions that are also partially controlled by tumor cell-extrinsic aspects of the microenvironment. As computational modeling methodologies across those scales have improved, so too has our ability to embrace fully the multiscale nature of cancer in developing models to predict key aspects of tumor development, diagnosis, and response to therapy. The explosion of studies to understand the origins and effects of cell-to-cell heterogeneity in tumors has provided impetus for the development of multiscale models capable of predicting dynamics in systems where spatial heterogeneities exist. Here, we summarize recent progress and developments in this field.