Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
In vivo Bioluminescence Imaging of Tumor Hypoxia Dynamics of Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis in a Mouse Model
Published on: October 3, 2011
Hypoxia imaging endoscopy equipped with laser light source from preclinical live animal study to first-in-human
Kazuhiro Kaneko1, Hiroshi Yamaguchi2, Takaaki Saito2
1Department of Gastroenterology, Endoscopy Division, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan; Division of Science and Technology for Endoscopy and Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
Abstract:
A goal in next-generation endoscopy is to develop functional imaging techniques to open up new opportunities for cancer diagnosis. Although spatial and temporal information on hypoxia is crucial for understanding cancer physiology and expected to be useful for cancer diagnosis, existing techniques using fluorescent indicators have limitations due to low spatial resolution and invasive administration. To overcome these problems, we developed an imaging technology based on hemoglobin oxygen saturation in both the tumor and surrounding mucosa using a laser endoscope system, and conducted the first human subject research for patients with aero-digestive tract cancer. The oxygen saturation map overlapped the images of cancerous lesions and indicated highly heterogeneous features of oxygen supply in the tumor. The hypoxic region of the tumor surface was found in both early cancer and cancer precursors. This technology illustrates a novel aspect of cancer biology as a potential biomarker and can be widely utilized in cancer diagnosis.
