Cancer science for everyone
PDEOncology ↗
v0.1
PDEOutreach

Cancer science, made for everyone. We turn the research behind PDEOncology into interactive experiences you can actually feel — no equations, no textbooks.

中英双语 interactive evidence-based free forever

Quick — what do you think?

A powerful chemotherapy drug enters the bloodstream and reaches the tumor. What percentage of cancer cells does it typically kill?
No googling. Go with your gut.
AMost of them — that's the whole point of chemo
BAbout half — chemo is not very precise
COnly the outer layer — drug can't reach the core
DAlmost none — tumors are completely drug-resistant

Four things about cancer nobody told you

💊

Why drugs fail

Good drugs can't always reach the tumor

Even the most effective chemotherapy drugs sometimes fail — not because they stop working, but because they physically cannot penetrate deep enough. We simulate this with real mathematics.

interactive simquiz inside
🔍

Early detection

Tumor size changes everything

A tumor found at 1 cm and at 5 cm are completely different problems. Drag a slider — and see exactly how much harder treatment becomes as tumors grow.

drag & explorequiz inside
🧬

Lifestyle & risk

Your habits change how drugs work

Smoking and obesity don't just cause cancer — they change the tumor microenvironment in ways that make chemotherapy less effective. Get your personalised risk profile.

risk profilepersonalised
🎯

Precision medicine

Why the same drug works differently for everyone

Two patients, same diagnosis, same drug — completely different outcomes. Genetics and tumor biology all play a role. See the difference with your own eyes.

comparequiz inside

Why Drugs Fail

The most common reason chemotherapy fails isn't drug resistance — it's a physical problem. The drug simply cannot reach the cells it needs to kill.

Before we explain — what's your guess?

Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any cancer. What is the main reason chemotherapy is so ineffective?
ACancer cells mutate too fast and become drug-resistant
BThe drugs are toxic and have to be given at low doses
CPhysical barriers in the tumor prevent drugs from reaching cancer cells
DThe pancreas breaks down drugs before they can work
📖

What's really happening inside

The tumor builds walls

Tumors actively create a hostile microenvironment that repels drugs:

  • High interstitial fluid pressure — the tumor pushes fluid outward, physically repelling drugs
  • Dense extracellular matrix — fibrous proteins slow drug movement
  • Abnormal blood vessels — irregular and poorly distributed

The result: drug concentration drops dramatically moving from the tumor edge toward its center.

We can measure this

This is modelled by a reaction-diffusion equation used in PDEOncology:

∂C/∂t = ∇·(D∇C) − λC − k·ρ·C

Where D is how fast the drug diffuses. In pancreatic cancer, D is up to 75% lower than in breast cancer — because the stroma is so dense.

See it for yourself

Pick a drug and tumor. Run the simulation. Watch how far the drug actually gets.

press Run to simulate
highlow
drug concentration
Tumor coverage
Penetration depth

Real stories

📝
— STORY COMING SOON —
We are collecting real patient stories to illustrate how physical drug barriers affect treatment outcomes.
If you or someone you know would like to share their experience, please reach out.

Early Detection

You've heard "catch it early." But do you know what that actually means in physical terms? First — a question.

Test your intuition

A tumor doubles in size from Stage I to Stage III. How much does drug coverage (the percentage of the tumor reached by chemo) change?
AIt drops by about half — roughly proportional to size
BIt drops by about 20–30% — not that dramatic
CIt drops by over 80% — coverage collapses
DIt stays roughly the same — drugs adapt to tumor size

Drag to discover

Move the slider. Watch the numbers change. This is why early screening saves lives.

Tumor radius 12 px
adjust slider then hit Run
Stage
5-yr survival
Drug coverage
Tumor radius
📋

When should you screen?

CancerScreening methodStart ageWhy it matters
BreastMammogram40–45Stage I: 99% survival → Stage IV: 28%
ColorectalColonoscopy45Most cases preventable if polyps caught early
CervicalPap smear + HPV test21Near 100% preventable with screening
LungLow-dose CT50 (smokers)Early finding triples survival rate
PancreaticNo standard screeningPrevention is the only current strategy

Real stories

📝
— STORY COMING SOON —
A story about how early (or late) detection changed a patient's treatment journey.
Coming soon — we are currently reaching out to patients and families.

Lifestyle & Risk

Your lifestyle doesn't just affect your cancer risk — it affects how well treatment works if you do get cancer. Fill in the profile below to see your personalised result.

Build your microenvironment profile

Adjust the sliders to match your lifestyle. We'll show you how each factor affects drug penetration — and generate your personal profile.

Smoking (pack-years) 0
BMI 22
Chronic inflammation none
Exercise (hrs/week) 3h
Alcohol (units/week) 0
Live microenvironment estimate
D modifier
×1.00
Risk level
baseline

Evidence-based actions

Don't smoke

Smoking accounts for ~30% of all cancer deaths. Quitting at any age reduces both cancer risk and ECM density — improving potential drug penetration.

Healthy weight

Obesity increases risk for 13 cancer types. Excess fat tissue promotes chronic inflammation, elevating IFP and reducing drug diffusion coefficient D.

Exercise regularly

150 min/week of moderate exercise reduces cancer risk by 10–20% and reduces systemic inflammation — keeping your tissue microenvironment healthier.

Real stories

📝
— STORY COMING SOON —
A story about how lifestyle changes affected a patient's treatment response.
We are working on collecting real cases — check back soon.

Precision Medicine

Two patients. Same cancer. Same drug. One responds — the other doesn't. This isn't bad luck. It's biology. First, a guess.

What do you think?

Trastuzumab (Herceptin) is a highly effective breast cancer drug. In which patients does it work?
AAll breast cancer patients — it's a general treatment
BOnly patients whose tumors overexpress the HER2 protein (~20% of cases)
COnly younger patients — the drug is age-dependent
DOnly patients who have already had chemotherapy

See the difference side by side

Real stories

📝
— STORY COMING SOON —
A story about how genetic testing changed a patient's treatment plan — and outcome.
Coming soon.