Competition between cancer cells and T cells under immunotherapy: a structured population approach

Abstract

T cells are key players in the immune action against the invasion of cancer cells. During an immune response, antigen-specific T cells dynamically sculpt the antigenic distribution of cancer cells, and cancer cells concurrently shape the repertoire of antigen-specific T cells. The succession of these reciprocal selective sweeps can result in “chase-and-escape” dynamics, and lead to immune evasion. It has been proposed that immune evasion can be countered by immunotherapy strategies aimed at regulating the immune response. In this work, we present a mathematical model of the competition between cancer cells and T cells under immunotherapy. We show that effective immunotherapy protocols can be designed by using therapeutic agents that boost T-cell proliferation in combination with boosters of immune memory.