Optimal control for a mathematical model for chemotherapy with pharmacometrics

An optimal control problem for an abstract mathematical model for cancer chemotherapy is considered. The dynamics is for a single drug and includes pharmacodynamic (PD) and pharmacokinetic (PK) models. The aim is to point out qualitative changes in the structures of optimal controls that occur as these pharmacometric models are varied. This concerns (i) changes in the PD-model for the effectiveness of the drug ( e.g. , between a linear log-kill term and a non-linear Michaelis-Menten type E max -model) and (ii) the question how the incorporation of a mathematical model for the pharmacokinetics of the drug effects optimal controls. The general results will be illustrated and discussed in the framework of a mathematical model for anti-angiogenic therapy.