Physics-informed machine learning digital twin for reconstructing prostate cancer tumor growth via PSA tests

Abstract Existing prostate cancer monitoring methods, reliant on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurements in blood tests often fail to detect tumor growth. We develop a computational framework to reconstruct tumor growth from the PSA integrating physics-based modeling and machine learning in dig...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Daniel Camacho-Gomez, Carlos Borau, Jose Manuel Garcia-Aznar, Maria Jose Gomez-Benito, Mark Girolami, Maria Angeles Perez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:npj Digital Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-025-01890-x
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Summary:Abstract Existing prostate cancer monitoring methods, reliant on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurements in blood tests often fail to detect tumor growth. We develop a computational framework to reconstruct tumor growth from the PSA integrating physics-based modeling and machine learning in digital twins. The physics-based model considers PSA secretion and flux from tissue to blood, depending on local vascularity. This model is enhanced by deep learning, which regulates tumor growth dynamics through the patient’s PSA blood tests and 3D spatial interactions of physiological variables of the digital twin. We showcase our framework by reconstructing tumor growth in real patients over 2.5 years from diagnosis, with tumor volume relative errors ranging from 0.8% to 12.28%. Additionally, our results reveal scenarios of tumor growth despite no significant rise in PSA levels. Therefore, our framework serves as a promising tool for prostate cancer monitoring, supporting the advancement of personalized monitoring protocols.
ISSN:2398-6352