www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget/ Oncotarget, Vol. 7, No. 30 Review Optical imaging probes in oncology Cristina Martelli1,2, Alessia Lo Dico1,3, Cecilia Diceglie1,2,4, Giovanni Lucignani2,5 and Luisa Ottobrini1,2,6 1 Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy 2 Centre of Molecular and Cellular Imaging-IMAGO, Milan, Italy 3 Umberto Veronesi Foundation, Milan, Italy 4 Tecnomed Foundation, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy 5 Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy 6 Institute for Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology (IBFM), National Research Council (CNR), Milan, Italy Correspondence to: Luisa Ottobrini, email:
[email protected] Keywords: cancer, fluorescent probes, biomarkers, molecular processes, tumor cell features Received: October 02, 2015 Accepted: April 10, 2016 Published: April 27, 2016 ABSTRACT Cancer is a complex disease, characterized by alteration of different physiological molecular processes and cellular features. Keeping this in mind, the possibility of early identification and detection of specific tumor biomarkers by non-invasive approaches could improve early diagnosis and patient management. Different molecular imaging procedures provide powerful tools for detection and non-invasive characterization of oncological lesions. Clinical studies are mainly based on the use of computed tomography, nuclear-based imaging techniques and magnetic resonance imaging. Preclinical imaging in small animal models entails the use of dedicated instruments, and beyond the already cited imaging techniques, it includes also optical imaging studies. Optical imaging strategies are based on the use of luminescent or fluorescent reporter genes or injectable fluorescent or luminescent probes that provide the possibility to study tumor features even by means of fluorescence and luminescence imaging.