Tracking Cancer Development and Movement

1
Tracking Cancer Development and Movement

• Interim Presentation
• February 19, 2005
• Team 004
• Albuquerque Academy

Team Members Punit Shah Karalyn
Baca Teacher Jim Mims Mentor Dr. Gene Wong
2
Contents

• Project Objectives
• Research
• Math Model
• Code Program
• To Do
• Questions

3
Project Objectives

• To model the development and propagation of
  melanoma skin cancer
• To see the patterns in the movement of the
  melanoma cancer through the body

4
Research

• Basic anatomy of skin
• Layers
• Epidermis, outermost layer of skin
• Germinal layer, where new skin is produced
• Dermis, where blood vessels, hair follicles, and
  such are
• Melanocytes
• Between germinal layer and dermis
• Make the pigment that in turn makes the skin
  whatever color it is

5
Research

• What causes skin cancer
• On a cellular level
• Cells are genetically changed by UV rays
• As they are unnatural, they thrive and continue
  to grow
• They make greater and greater pigment in the
  melanocytes
• There are predetermined factors and environments
  that increase the change of getting cancer
  
• Ways to protect from UV rays

6
Research

• How malignant melanocytes develop
• Their effect on the germinal layer and epidermis
• The movement of malignant cells at a local region
• The movement of malignant melanocytes through the
  body
• Their effect on organs
• The symptoms of melanoma
• The effects of malignant melanocytes on other
  cells and tissues

7
Math Model

• Initially, tumor growth is exponential
• As competition increases, cells start to die
• Cancer growth follows a sigmoidal curve

A sigmoidal curve
8
Math Model

• Cancer starts as a sphere
• When cancer spreads, tends to spread horizontally
  rather than vertically
• When it continues, smaller tumors are created
  that continue the cycle
• To compute, we must look at many tumors
  development at once
• Uses great computing power, must be simplified
• Resource burdening will not be incorporated
  initially

9
Math Model

• Will start with taking few factors into account
• Will look at a simple, spherical growth and may
  have possible lateral spread in initial version
• When diameter exceeds 5mm, new tumors created
  around old tumor
• Old tumor will then die

10
Code Program

• Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 will be used
• Basic code has been developed and windows have
  been setup
• Plan to have two output windows
• Skin Model with cancer
• Time to Cancerous Cell count graph

Programs splash screen
11
Code Program

• Plan to have procedures of classes be the
  different properties of a cell in the model
• Properties include
• Cancerous on non-cancerous
• Location in respect to different cancer tumors
• An array will hold the different cells of the
  model
• The GUI of the model will be updated periodically
  to show progress

12
Code Program
The cancerous cell count graph
The cancer tumor
The cancer model
13
To Do

• Complete program
• Develop code to properly graph number of
  cancerous cells
• Add variables of growth such as partial treatment
  and random growth
• Show the cancers effect on other body parts
• Add the growth of satellite nodules
• Track general movement and growth throughout the
  body
• Thoroughly benchmark and test the program

14
Tracking Cancer Development and Movement

• Interim Presentation
• February 19, 2005
• Team 004
• Albuquerque Academy

Team Members Punit Shah Karalyn
Baca Teacher Jim Mims Mentor Dr. Gene Wong