A Look into the Physiological Impacts of Childhood Cancers and Modeling of Tumor Growth Rate

Authors

Erica Steiner, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kimberly Hansen, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Marissa Stanton, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Thesis

Date of this Version

Spring 2023

Citation

Steiner, E., Hansen, K., and Stanton M. (2023) 'A Look into the Physiological Impacts of Childhood Cancers and Modeling of Tumor Growth Rate.' Undergraduate Honors Thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Comments

Copyright Erica Steiner, Kimberly Hansen, and Marissa Stanton 2023.

Abstract

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases present in the world. Children have different reactions to diseases and treatments; thus, it is important to study those reactions specifically in children. Knowing how children are impacted by these factors can be helpful in diagnosis and treatment of cancer. I performed this study by researching the different types of cancer I was interested in and using MATLAB to code for and simulate a growth curve of a brain tumor. I found that there are many different physiological impacts of different cancers in children. As for the modeling, I was able to get a visual representation of growth of a brain tumor with and without radiation treatment. The next steps to perform could include growing a tumor in the correct environment in a lab to see if different types of treatment can have a greater impact on the death rate of cancerous cells or if different factors contribute to the growth rate of cancer cells. Having information about how cancer impacts children, because it is different than in adults, is important for caring for a child with cancer.