Computational oncology — mathematical modelling of drug regimens for precision medicine

With the ever-increasing processing power of new computer hardware and software, the mathematical sciences are constantly advancing and the use of mathematical models in medicine is expandingTo date, computational oncology has been implemented mostly in systems-biology studies as a means to better understand cancer biologyComputation oncology can be applied to refine drug dosing and scheduling, which could benefit from sophisticated modelling of pharmacokinetics (PK)/pharmacodynamics (PD) relationships and the formulation of innovative clinical trial designsMathematical strategies can be used to predict tumour responses, efficacy, and toxicity during treatment planning or adaptationProvision of personalized medicine could be improved through systems-biology approaches that incorporate both multiscale modelling and PK/PD modelling to ensure a better efficacy–toxicity balance of treatmentThe use of dedicated models to rationally design drug regimens in oncology should result in improved efficacy of treatment and decreased toxicity