Probing physiology and molecular function using optical imaging: applications to breast cancer.
The present review addresses the capacity of optical imaging to resolve functional and molecular characteristics of breast cancer. We focus on recent developments in optical imaging that allow three-dimensional reconstruction of optical signatures in the human breast using diffuse optical tomography (DOT). These technologic advances allow the noninvasive, in vivo imaging and quantification of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin and of contrast agents that target the physiologic and molecular functions of tumors. Hence, malignancy differentiation can be based on a novel set of functional features that are complementary to current radiologic imaging methods. These features could enhance diagnostic accuracy, lower the current state-of-the-art detection limits, and play a vital role in therapeutic strategy and monitoring.
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. vasilis@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
V
V
Ntziachristos
B
B
Chance
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D003287:Contrast Media; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005453:Fluorescence; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008954:Models, Biological; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D014172:Transillumination; D014463:Ultrasonography
D003287:Contrast Media; D005819:Genetic Markers