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Figure 1. Examples of isoclines that result when Eqs. A and B are set equal to 0. In the left panel, the system evolves to a point in which only normal tissue remains and the tumor regresses. In the middle panel, coexistence is possible at the intersection of the isoclines. In the right panel, only the tumor population remains as the normal cells are driven to extinction corresponding to an invasive cancer. The different outcomes are outlined in the text.
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Figure 2. Starting from the same initial condition, the population trajectories end at different equilibrium points depending on the parameters used.
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Figure 3. Example of somatic evolution of tumor cells showing changes in tumor strategy over time resulting in tumor growth and a corresponding decline in the number of non-evolving normal cells.
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Figure 4. An example of an adaptive landscape defined by the somatic microecology of the tumor-host interface in which an invasive cancer population sits at a local maximum.
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Figure 5. Following administration of cytotoxic therapy at time t = 0, the established cancer population undergoes a steep decline corresponding to tumor regression. However, as shown in the top panel, the remaining cells evolve to a new resistant strategy allowing tumor regrowth.
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Figure 6. When compared to Fig. 4, the alteration of the local fitness landscape due to treatment is apparent. However, the evolutionary capacity of cancer cells allows them to evolve to any local maximum and remain there, resulting in regrowth.
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