Imaging of tumor angiogenesis: functional or targeted?

Abstract

Angiogenesis--the growth of new vessels--is both a normal physiologic response and a critical step in many pathologic processes, particularly cancer. Imaging has long relied on the different enhancement characteristics of cancer compared with normal tissue; the information generated is often primarily morphologic and qualitative. However, more quantitative methods based on functional and targeted imaging have recently emerged. In this article, we review both functional and targeted imaging techniques for assessing tumor angiogenesis.