Modelling the Tumour Microenvironment, but What Exactly Do We Mean by “Model”?

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The word “model” can be used with different meanings and different contexts, like a model student, clay models or a model railway. In some cases, the context can clarify exactly what is meant by “model”, but sometimes several meanings of model can be present in one area. For instance, with reference to cancer research, there can be ambiguity for what is meant by model. This paper reviews the use of the word model as related to cancer research and within the specific area of the microenvironment that surrounds a cancer tumour. The review grouped different definitions of model into four categories (model organisms, in vitro models, mathematical models and computational models) and explored what is meant in each case, mentioning the advantages and disadvantages of the different models Next, a quantitative investigation of the scientific publications listed in the database of the United States National Library of Medicine was performed by counting the frequencies of use of these terms, as well as the components of the microenvironments and the organs modelled with these techniques. ABSTRACT: The Oxford English Dictionary includes 17 definitions for the word “model” as a noun and another 11 as a verb. Therefore, context is necessary to understand the meaning of the word model. For instance, “model railways” refer to replicas of railways and trains at a smaller scale and a “model student” refers to an exemplary individual. In some cases, a specific context, like cancer research, may not be sufficient to provide one specific meaning for model. Even if the context is narrowed, specifically, to research related to the tumour microenvironment, “model” can be understood in a wide variety of ways, from an animal model to a mathematical expression. This paper presents a review of different “models” of the tumour microenvironment, as grouped by different definitions of the word into four categories: model organisms, in vitro models, mathematical models and computational models. Then, the frequencies of different meanings of the word “model” related to the tumour microenvironment are measured from numbers of entries in the MEDLINE database of the United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. The frequencies of the main components of the microenvironment and the organ-related cancers modelled are also assessed quantitatively with specific keywords. Whilst animal models, particularly xenografts and mouse models, are the most commonly used “models”, the number of these entries has been slowly decreasing. Mathematical models, as well as prognostic and risk models, follow in frequency, and these have been growing in use.