Modeling of Angiogenesis in Tumor Blood Vessels via Lattice Boltzmann Method

Abstract

This mathematical model studies the dynamics of tumor growth, one of the most complex dynamics problems that relates several interrelated processes over multiple ranges of spatial and temporal scales. In order to construct a tumor growth model, an angiogenesis model is used with focus on controlling the tumor volume, preventing new establishment, dissemination, and growth. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is effectively applied to Navier-Stokes’ equation for obtaining the numerical simulation of blood flow through vasculature. It is observed that the flow features are extremely sensitive to stenosis severity, even at small strains and stresses, and that a severe effect on flow patterns and wall shear stresses is noticed in the tumor blood vessels. It is noted that based on the nonlinear deformation of the blood vessel’s wall, the flow rate conditions became unstable or distorted and affect the complex blood vessel’s geometry and it changes the blood flow pattern. When the blood flows inside the stenotic artery, depending on the presence of moderate or severe stenosis, it can lead to insufficient blood supply to the tissues in the downstream. Consequently, the highly disturbed flow occurs in the downstream of the stenosed artery, or even plaque ruptures happen when the flow pattern becomes very irregular and complex as it transits to turbulent which cannot be described without assumptions on the geometry. The results predicted by LBM-based code surpassed the expectations, and thus, the numerical results are found to be in great accord with the relevant established results of others.