Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Terms used in the book
- preface
- 1 The biological basis of cancer and the problem of drug resistance
- 2 Tumour growth, stem cells and experimental chemotherapy
- 3 Molecular aspects of drug resistance
- 4 Quantitative descriptions of the origins of drug resistance
- 5 Development and exploration of the random mutation model for drug resistance
- 6 Extensions of the random mutation model for drug resistance
- 7 Clinical predictions of the random mutation model
- 8 Directed versus random mutation and the problem of intrinsic resistance
- 9 Some final thoughts on the problem of drug resistance
- Index
4 - Quantitative descriptions of the origins of drug resistance
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 May 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Terms used in the book
- preface
- 1 The biological basis of cancer and the problem of drug resistance
- 2 Tumour growth, stem cells and experimental chemotherapy
- 3 Molecular aspects of drug resistance
- 4 Quantitative descriptions of the origins of drug resistance
- 5 Development and exploration of the random mutation model for drug resistance
- 6 Extensions of the random mutation model for drug resistance
- 7 Clinical predictions of the random mutation model
- 8 Directed versus random mutation and the problem of intrinsic resistance
- 9 Some final thoughts on the problem of drug resistance
- Index
Summary
Introduction
In this chapter we will begin to discuss resistance in quantitative terms. Chapter 3 contained a discussion of the molecular and cellular processes by which resistance arises; this will not be addressed here. The purpose here is to describe the development of resistance using formulae so that predictions regarding the distribution and onset of resistance can be made. The beautiful thing about formulae is that they tell you everything and nothing about the nature of a system. Everything, in that a correct complete formulae tells you exactly how the process will evolve and what affects it. Nothing, in that identical formulae may apply to quite different mechanisms of effect so that it is not possible, in general, to discern the ‘how’ from the structure of an equation. Quite different mechanisms of resistance may (or may not) have formulae describing their development that are functionally the same. Formulae describing a system may be derived, in general, in two ways.
One method is to build a model for the system of interest using known characteristics of the system. As an example consider building a model to describe the length of a steel spring. Hook's law indicates that the extension of a steel spring is proportional to the force applied to it. Also, steel expands upon heating so that we would expect the length to depend upon the ambient temperature. Other physical mechanisms with known modes of action may be postulated and piece by piece a model for the system constructed.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Drug Resistance in CancerMechanisms and Models, pp. 90 - 121Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1998