Focus point: cancer and HIV/AIDS dynamics: from optimality to modelling

Abstract

Human cancer is a multistep process involving acquired genetic mutations, each of which imparts a particular type of growth advantage to the cell and ultimately leads to the development of a malignant phenotype. It is also a generic term for a group of diseases and figures as a leading cause of death globally; it lays a significant burden on healthcare systems and continues to be among the major health problems worldwide. The consequences of mutations in tumor cells include alterations in cell signaling pathways that result in uncontrolled cellular proliferation, insensitivity to growth inhibitory signals, resistance to apoptosis, development of cellular immortality, angiogenesis, tissue invasion and metastasis.