ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the main techniques used for cancer imaging in mouse models by addressing their major applications, strengths, and drawbacks and also some promising future perspective. The use of in vivo imaging complies with the principle of the 3 R's—replacement, reduction, and refinement—within the context of animal welfare, as these are less invasive techniques and allow a reduction in the number of sacrificed animals. Planar imaging techniques take advantage of the use of planar waves to illuminate a tissue, recording the emitted fluorescence. Mouse imaging techniques have emerged by scaling-down clinically used devices, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and ultrasound (US), whereas others, such as optical imaging with fluorescent and bioluminescent markers, were scaled-up from in vitro microscopic cellular imaging. The development of intravital microscopy (IVM) can overcome the setbacks, allowing to follow biological processes on its natural environment.
