Imaging Mouse Models of Cancer

Mouse models of cancer have proven to be an indispensable resource in furthering both our basic knowledge of cancer biology and the translation of new cancer treatments and imaging approaches into the clinic. As mouse models have developed and improved in their ability to model many diverse aspects of the human disease, so too has the need for robust imaging approaches to measure key biological parameters noninvasively. The aim of this review is to provide a brief overview of the various imaging approaches available to researchers today for imaging preclinical cancer models, highlighting their relative strengths and weaknesses. The very nature of modeling cancer in the mouse is also changing, and brief mention will be made on how imaging can maximize the utility of these new, accurate, and genetically versatile models.