Inferring rates of metastatic dissemination using stochastic network models

The formation of metastases is driven by the ability of cancer cells to disseminate from the site of the primary tumour to target organs. The process of dissemination is constrained by anatomical features such as the flow of blood and lymph in the circulatory system. We exploit this fact in a stochastic network model of metastasis formation, in which only anatomically feasible routes of dissemination are considered. By fitting this model to two different clinical datasets (tongue & ovarian cancer) we show that incidence data can be modelled using a small number of biologically meaningful parameters. The fitted models reveal site specific relative rates of dissemination and also allow for patient-specific predictions of metastatic involvement based on primary tumour location and stage. Applied to other data sets this type of model could yield insight about seed-soil effects, and could also be used in a clinical setting to provide personalised predictions about the extent of metastatic spread.