Stochastic Modelling of Multiple Random Genetic Mutations Under the Cancer Stem Cell Hypothesis

Abstract

The probability distribution for the size of each of the various cancer cell subpopulations created by random genetic mutations is expressed in the case of non-exponential growth of cancer and in the case of a heterogeneous tumor cell population.

Keywords:

• branching processes
• genetic mutations
• stem cells
• tumor growth
• tumor heterogeneity

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author thanks Prof. Giovanni Parmigiani for his support and encouragement. The author's work was supported in part by the National Institute of Health under Grant T32 CA009337.