Mathematical modeling of chemotherapy effects on brain tumor growth

Brain tumors, comprising both benign and malignant growths, pose significant clinical challenges due to their complex interactions with healthy brain tissues. This research develops a mathematical model using nonlinear differential equations to simulate brain tumor dynamics under chemotherapy treatment. The model considers the interactions among glial cells, cancer cells, neurons, and a chemotherapeutic agent, with the latter modeled as a predator impacting all cell types. Stability analysis of steady states is performed using the Jacobian matrix approach for both untreated and continuously treated scenarios. Numerical simulations, conducted using Python’s SciPy library, illustrate the progression of tumor and healthy cells over time. The results highlight the dual role of chemotherapy: while effectively reducing cancer cell populations at sufficient infusion rates, it may also adversely impact glial and neuronal viability due to toxicity. These findings emphasize the need for carefully balanced chemotherapy strategies and provide a foundational frameworkfor future extensions, including neurogenesis and adaptive treatment modeling.