3D numerical study of tumor blood perfusion and oxygen transport during vascular normalization

The changes of blood perfusion and oxygen transport in tumors during tumor vascular normalization are studied with 3-dimensional mathematical modeling and numerical simulation. The models of tumor angiogenesis and vascular-disrupting are used to simulate “un-normalized” and “normalized” vasculatures. A new model combining tumor hemodynamics and oxygen transport is developed. In this model, the intravascular-transvascular-interstitial flow with red blood cell (RBC) delivery is tightly coupled, and the oxygen resource is produced by heterogeneous distribution of hematocrit from the flow simulation. The results show that both tumor blood perfusion and hematocrit in the vessels increase, and the hypoxia microenvironment in the tumor center is greatly improved during vascular normalization. The total oxygen content inside the tumor tissue increases by about 67%, 51%, and 95% for the three approaches of vascular normalization, respectively. The elevation of oxygen concentration in tumors can improve its metabolic environment, and consequently reduce malignancy of tumor cells. It can also enhance radiation and chemotherapeutics to tumors.