Additional Extension of the Mathematical Model for BCG Immunotherapy of Bladder Cancer and Its Validation by Auxiliary Tool

Abstract

Abstract Immunotherapy with bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) is a classic treatment for superficial bladder cancer. Although BCG instillation is a well-established protocol, some patients do not respond to this treatment. To model improvement of this protocol, Bunimovich-Mendrazitsky (B-M) et al. provided a platform for in silico testing of modified protocols of BCG instillation and combination with IL-2. The purpose of this work is to improve and further develop this BCG model describing the tumor–immune interactions occurring in the bladder in response to BCG and IL-2 therapies, based on novel clinical data. To validate this BCG model, we used the results of BCG treatment of 10 patients with bladder cancer 3-5 years ago. Individual data for each patient was entered to simulate the model. As a result, a treatment protocol was obtained which coincided with the protocol assigned by the doctor. In addition, cancer cell growth graphs were obtained from the model simulations, which coincided with the clinical conclusions of the patient’s treatment outcome. Moreover, the program provides a more optimal treatment protocol for each patient. We show that calculated protocols from the model can prevent excess side effects of immunotherapy and even of unnecessary death for some patients, informing the clinical potential of our model.