Breast Cancer Treatment in the Era of Molecular Imaging

Abstract

Molecular imaging employs molecularly targeted probes to visualize and often quantify distinct disease-specific markers and pathways. Modalities like intravital confocal or multiphoton microscopy, near-infrared fluorescence combined with endoscopy, surface reflectance imaging, or fluorescence-mediated tomography, and radionuclide imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are increasingly used for small animal high-throughput screening, drug development and testing, and monitoring gene therapy experiments. In the clinical treatment of breast cancer, PET and SPECT as well as magnetic resonance-based molecular imaging are already established for the staging of distant disease and intrathoracic nodal status, for patient selection regarding receptor-directed treatments, and to gain early information about treatment efficacy. In the near future, reporter gene imaging during gene therapy and further spatial and qualitative characterization of the disease can become clinically possible with radionuclide and optical methods. Ultimately, it may be expected that every level of breast cancer treatment will be affected by molecular imaging, including screening.

Nano‐sized Carrier Systems as New Materials for Nuclear Medicine

“…In addition, SPECT and PET may be further combined with other imaging modalities (magnetic resonance imaging [106,107] or fluorescence [72,106,[108][109][110]) or with therapy (theragnostics) in one system, taking specific advantages of each of the modality in one system.…”

In Vivo Diffuse Optical Tomography and Fluorescence Molecular Tomography

“…In the past two decades, optical techniques received renewed attention owing to the development of accurate mathematic models and reconstruction strategies [87]. Especially in recent years, diffuse optical tomography has been intensively applied in 3D breast imaging [82,[88][89][90].…”