A DISCRETE MODEL FOR IMMUNE SURVEILLANCE, TUMOR-IMMUNITY AND CANCER

In this paper we propose a model of tumor immunity in terms of discrete automata where each automaton describes the concentration of one particular type of cell involved in immune response. In contrast to the earlier models of normal immune response, there is more than one type of cell surface antigen in this model. As a consequence, the tumor can evade destruction through humoral response by changing its identity. However, the tumor can be killed by the killer cells through cell-mediated response unless protected by a high concentration of the suppressor T cells. © 1991 Academic Press Limited.