Adaptive Therapy: Using Evolutionary Game Theory to Combat Cancer Treatment Resistance

Adaptive therapy is a cancer treatment based upon the principles of evolutionary game theory (EGT) utilized to minimize treatment resistance as a cause of tumor evolution. This treatment strategy incorporates a foundation of Darwinian evolutionary principles with mathematical modeling and clinical data. As a result, adaptive therapy ameliorates the negative effects of traditional cancer treatments such as therapy resistance and a debilitated quality of life. By eliminating the use of maximum tolerated dose (MTD), the hallmark of traditional therapies, the evolutionary properties of tumors to develop drug resistance are circumvented and the probability of a prolonged life for patients is significantly increased. This paper explores the effectiveness of an expanded usage of adaptive therapy through an evaluation of current oncological research.