Cost Effective Translational Imaging in Breast Cancer Management

Breast cancer is most frequently diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer related deaths in females. It has a varied behavior and biology responsible for its various clinical presentations and treatment outcome [1]. This necessitated the need for exhaustive study of tumor biology and Pathology which have significant reflection in the comprehensive evaluation and management. The different clinical presentations are early, locally advanced, recurrent and metastatic breast cancer. There had been lots of concern in comprehensive management of the disease and exponential growth in various diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. These concerns are early detection, lymph node mapping, detection of metastatic and recurrent lesions, tumor biology and pathology, various modalities of treatment including targeted therapy and disease free survival. One of the modalities which have been translated to overcome the concerns is imaging techniques. The imaging modalities described are mammogram, computed tomography, radioisotope imaging, color Doppler ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, single photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography, optical imaging including optical computed tomography and near infrared imaging florescence [2]. Several of these imaging modalities have been used for preclinical research, part of technological development and certainly for clinical studies.