Computational modeling of early-stage breast cancer progression using TPFA method: A numerical investigation

In this paper, a finite volume (TPFA) method is employed to simulate a degenerate breast cancer model that captures the progressive mutations from a normal breast stem cell to a tumor cell. The model incorporates a degenerate parabolic equation to represent the interaction between solid tumor growth and its environment, which involves the release of degradative enzymes governed by a partial differential equation. The discrete maximum principle is verified to be satisfied by the proposed finite volume scheme, and the convergence of the existing discrete solutions to a weak solution is proven. Additionally, the development of breast cancer is demonstrated through a numerical experiment.