Convection enhanced drug delivery in deformable human tumors.

Convection Enhanced Delivery (CED) is a capable technique, which is used to deliver the therapeutic agents inside the tumor interstitial space using a catheter. This technique uses the principle of a positive pressure gradient to infuse the drugs thereby proving to be an effective alternative as compared to other drug delivery methods. Once the infusion is done using the catheter it leads to change in the tissue structural and fluidic properties, which significantly affect the drug delivery process. The current numerical study aims to understand the complex interplay between tissue deformation and the associated fluid dynamic changes inside the tumor tissue during the CED process. Additionally, the study also aims to predict the deformation and the interstitial fluid parameter changes inside different grades of the tumor by varying the elastic modulus of the tumor tissue and comparing the corresponding changes with the healthy tissue. The in-silico results suggest that as the elastic modulus of the tissue increases there is a decrease in the tumor displacement, porosity and permeability. These results can directly influence the drug transport and concentration inside the tumors and the numerical model can predict the treatment efficacy of CED inside different grades of tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]