Improving Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy for bladder cancer by adding interleukin 2 (IL-2): A mathematical model

Svetlana Bunimovich-Mendrazitsky, Sarel Halachmi, Natalie Kronik

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

One of the treatments offered to non-invasive bladder cancer patients is BCG instillations, using a wellestablished, time-honoured protocol. Some of the patients, however, do not respond to this protocol. To examine possible changes in the protocol, we provide a platform for in silico testing of alternative protocols for BCG instillations and combinations with IL-2, to be used by urologists in planning new treatment strategies for subpopulations of bladder cancer patients who may benefit from a personalized protocol. We use a systems biology approach to describe the BCG-tumour-immune interplay and translate it into a set of mathematical differential equations. The variables of the equation set are the number of tumour cells, bacteria cells, immune cells, and cytokines participating in the tumour-immune response. Relevant parameters that describe the system's dynamics are taken from a variety of independent literature, unrelated to the clinical trial results assessed by the model predictions. Model simulations use a clinically relevant range of initial tumour sizes (tumour volume) and tumour growth rates (tumour grade), representative of a virtual population of fifty patients. Our model successfully retrieved previous clinical results for BCG induction treatment and BCG maintenance therapy with a complete response (CR) rate of 82%. Furthermore, we designed alternative maintenance protocols, using IL-2 combinations with BCG, which improved success rates up to 86% and 100% of the patients, albeit without considering possible side effects.We have shown our simulation platform to be reliable by demonstrating its ability to retrieve published clinical trial results. We used this platform to predict the outcome of treatment combinations. Our results suggest that the subpopulation of non-responsive patients may benefit from an intensified combined BCG IL-2 maintenance treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)159-188
Number of pages30
JournalMathematical Medicine and Biology
Volume33
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2016

Keywords

  • BCG and IL-2 combined therapy
  • BCG immunotherapy
  • Bladder cancer
  • Immune system cells dynamics
  • Mathematical modelling

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Environmental Science
  • Applied Mathematics
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Modelling and Simulation

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