Mathematical insights into the comparative effectiveness of chemotherapy and T-cell therapy of leukemia

Leukemia is recognized as a type of blood cancer originating in the bone marrow and is considered a major global health concern resulting from the uncontrolled proliferation of immature white blood cells in the bloodstream. A mathematical model was developed to evaluate leukemia treatment using CAR T-cell therapy and chemotherapy. The system, expressed through ordinary differential equations, integrates adoptive T-cell infusion and chemotherapeutic effects to assess their influence on leukemia progression. Stability and numerical analyses show that the model becomes stable when immune stimulation exceeds a critical threshold. T-cell infusion significantly reduces cancer and infected cell levels, while higher antigenicity enhances immune efficiency. Chemotherapy dynamics were analyzed under immune and drug interactions, emphasizing the roles of tumor mortality, drug decay, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activation. Comparative results indicate that CAR T-cell therapy provides a stronger and longer-lasting reduction in leukemia cells than chemotherapy alone. Graphical simulations provide additional insight into the distinct roles of each treatment, supporting the development of optimized therapeutic strategies.