ABSTRACT
Objective To study the effect of intercellular adhesion of tumor cells on immune response of human body. Methods A tumor growth-cellular immune feedback model was developed based on cellular Potts model (CPM) to simulate the progression of tumor cells and the cellular immune feedback system, and the influence of adhesion between tumor cells on the immune system was analyzed. Results Under the condition of tumor intercellular adhesion with normal intensity, tumor cells could escape when the immune system was weak and be eliminated when the immune system was strong. Under the condition of tumor intercellular adhesion with low intensity, tumor cells could escape when the immune system was weak, while exhibited behavior of oscillation and could not be eliminated when the immune system was strong. Conclusions Higher adhesion between tumor cells inhibited escape of tumor cells from the immune system, while lower adhesion between tumor cells could effectively help the tumor escape killing from the immune system. When the tumor was extremely spread, the immune system could not completely eliminate tumor cells.