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Fig. 11 | Biology Direct

Fig. 11

From: Primary and metastatic tumor dormancy as a result of population heterogeneity

Fig. 11

Tumor dormancy as part of a larger process of cancer disease. a We hypothesize that at the initial stages of microtumor growth, it may be growing according to parametrically heterogeneous logistic growth law until it reaches an escape phase, which occurs solely due to natural population dynamics. After the escape phase, the tumor may remain indefinitely at its carrying capacity, or it may start engaging it microenvironment to increase its carrying capacity. b Some of the mechanisms whereby a tumor can increase its carrying capacity include but are not limited to, increase in glycolytic glucose metabolism, which may lead to interference with immune activation [57], as well as immune cells becoming outcompeted for nutrients [5860]. The tumor might also engage the stroma to induce angiogenic switch and formation of new blood vessels [22, 24, 56, (Kareva et al.: Normal wound healing and tumor angiogenesis as a game of competitive inhibition of growth factors and inhibitors, under review)], or increase ECM signaling, which has also been implicated in escape from dormancy [15, 27, 66]

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