Multimodal Imaging-Based Potential Visualization of the Tumor Microenvironment in Bone Metastasis

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Pathophysiology

Background:

• Bone metastasis (BM) is the most frequent malignant bone tumor, contributing significantly to cancer patient morbidity and mortality.
• The bone tumor microenvironment (TME) possesses unique characteristics compared to other metastatic sites.
• Accurate TME assessment in BM is crucial for optimizing patient management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the pathophysiology of bone metastasis.
• To outline the diagnostic principles of major imaging modalities for BM.
• To discuss clinically available imaging techniques for visualizing the bone TME.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of bone metastasis pathophysiology.
• Analysis of diagnostic principles for key imaging modalities.
• Examination of multimodal imaging techniques for TME visualization.

Main Results:

• Imaging approaches for BM avoid invasive biopsies, allow multi-site evaluation, and enable serial assessments.
• Advancements in imaging tracers and modalities facilitate the visualization of the bone TME.
• Multimodal imaging can depict interactions among various factors influencing the TME.

Conclusions:

• Imaging plays a vital role in assessing the bone TME in metastatic bone disease.
• Multimodal imaging strategies offer promising avenues for understanding and managing BM.
• Optimized TME visualization through advanced imaging can enhance patient care for bone metastasis.