A Thermodynamic Perspective of Cancer Cells’ Volume/Area Expansion Ratio

Abstract

The constructal law is used to improve the analysis of the resonant heat transfer in cancer cells. The result highlights the fundamental role of the volume/area ratio and its role in cancer growth and invasion. Cancer cells seek to increase their surface area to facilitate heat dissipation; as such, the tumour expansion ratio declines as malignant cells start to migrate and the cancer expands locally and systemically. Consequently, we deduce that effective anticancer therapy should be based on the control of some ion transport phenomena in an effort to increase the volume/area ratio. This emphasises restricting the local and systemic spatial expansion of the tumour system and thus gives further credence to the superior role of novel anti-migratory and anti-invasive treatment strategies over conventional anti-proliferative options only.

Keywords

• biophysics
• constructal law
• irreversibility
• cancer
• volume/area ratio in cell systems