Minimization of PSA level using DISMC: A novel approach to Adaptive Therapy

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a widely used treatment method for prostate cancer. The therapy uses drugs to reduce the hormone level to minimize the population of tumor cells. However, the cells develop resistance to the therapy due to prolonged exposure, and in some cases, it may result in increased drug toxicity. A solution to this problem is adaptive therapy, which introduces chemotherapy or immunotherapy after ADT is withdrawn. This paper analyzes the mathematical model of prostate cancer under the effects of ADT. The Double-integral sliding mode controller (DISMC) is applied to the cancer model to bring the PSA level to zero, and the stability of the proposed design is analyzed through the Lyapunov theory. The control law obtained using DISMC will help with the optimal drug scheduling for adaptive therapy. The theoretical findings are validated through the MATLAB/SIMULINK platform.