  Cooperation arises in nature at every scale, from within cells to entire
ecosystems. In the framework of evolutionary game theory, public goods games
(PGGs) are used to analyse scenarios where individuals can cooperate or defect,
and can predict when and how these behaviours emerge. However, too few examples
motivate the transferal of knowledge from one application of PGGs to another.
Here, we focus on PGGs arising in disease modelling of cancer evolution and the
spread of infectious diseases. We use these two systems as case studies for the
development of the theory and applications of PGGs, which we succinctly review
and compare. We also posit that applications of evolutionary game theory to
decision-making in cancer, such as interactions between a clinician and a
tumour, can learn from the PGGs studied in epidemiology, where cooperative
behaviours such as quarantine and vaccination compliance have been more
thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, instances of cellular-level cooperation
observed in cancers point to a corresponding area of potential interest for
modellers of other diseases, be they viral, bacterial or otherwise. We aim to
demonstrate the breadth of applicability of PGGs in disease modelling while
providing a starting point for those interested in quantifying cooperation
arising in healthcare.
