Metabolism is the tie: The Bertalanffy-type cancer growth model as common denominator of various modelling approaches

We, furthermore, show that a single variable variant of the Bertalanffy-type model can straightforwardly be extended to a multiclonal competition model. Since competition is crucially based on available shared or clone-specific resources, the metabolism-based approach is an obvious candidate to capture clonal competition. Depending on the specific context, metabolic reprogramming or other oncogene driven changes either lead to a suppression of cancer cells or to an improved competition resulting in outgrowth of tumours. The parametrisation of the Bertalanffy-type growth model allows to account for this observed variety of cancer characteristics. The shape parameter, conceived as a classifier for healthy and oncogenic phenotypes, supplies a link to survival and evolutionary stability concepts discussed in demographic studies, such as opportunistic versus equilibrium strategies.