Computer simulation of tumour cell invasion by a stochastic growth model

The structure and function of biological systems are considered to be closely related. The present study addresses the question of how histological patterns of tumours are related to specific functional properties of the tumour cells. A mathematical model was developed, which facilitates the simulation of tumour growth and invasion by computer. The degree of cell division, migration and death can be interactively set and the simulation results can be observed on the screen. Additionally, these basic functional properties of a particular cell can be influenced by autocrine and paracrine factors. The study shows that the resulting morphological patterns closely depend on the preset functional properties of the tumour cells. Furthermore, each autocrine or paracrine factor, or combinations of these factors, induce peculiar modifications of the tumour pattern. These results provide evidence that histological tumour patterns reflect functional properties of the tumour cells and their interaction with the micro-environment. Qualitative and quantitative comparison of real tumour specimens with patterns simulated by computer may thus provide a logical base for a functional interpretation of static histological images.