DRUG-DELIVERY TO BRAIN-TUMORS

We develop a macroscopic model for delivering drug to brain tumors. Th e model accounts for bulk convective and diffusive transport across th e blood-brain barrier and through the interstitial space. Through math ematical analysis and simulations, we assess the effects of changing p arameters (within physiological bounds) on drug delivery. We find that there is an optimal treatment for convective drug delivery to the cen ter of the tumor. We interpret this phenomenon in terms of traffic flo w. The implications of our analyses on existing chemotherapeutic proto cols are discussed. (C) 1996 Society for Mathematical Biology