Development of a Sampling-Based Global Sensitivity Analysis Workflow for Multiscale Computational Cancer Models

摘要

There are two challenges that researchers face when performing global sensitivity analysis (GSA) on multiscale in silico cancer models. The first is increased computational intensity, since a multiscale cancer model generally takes longer to run than does a scale-specific model. The second problem is the lack of a best GSA method that fits all types of models, which implies that multiple methods and their sequence need to be taken into account. In this article, we therefore propose a sampling-based GSA workflow consisting of three phases – pre-analysis, analysis, and post-analysis – by integrating Monte Carlo and resampling methods with the repeated use of analysis of variance (ANOVA); we then exemplify this workflow using a two-dimensional multiscale lung cancer model. By accounting for all parameter rankings produced by multiple GSA methods, a summarized ranking is created at the end of the workflow based on the weighted mean of the rankings for each input parameter. For the cancer model investigated here, this analysis reveals that ERK, a downstream molecule of the EGFR signaling pathway, has the most important impact on regulating both the tumor volume and expansion rate in the algorithm used.