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Early Radiation Therapy Response Assessment Using Multi-Scale Photoacoustic Imaging
Thierry L Lefebvre1,2, Mariam-Eleni Oraiopoulou1,2, Ellie V Bunce1,2
1Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|March 9, 2026
Summary
Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) identifies biomarkers predicting radiation therapy (RT) response in breast cancer models. PAI reveals tumor oxygenation and vascular changes, aiding in monitoring treatment effectiveness and guiding radioresistance assessment.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Imaging
- Cancer Research
- Radiotherapy
Background:
- Clinical need for biomarkers predicting radiation therapy (RT) response.
- Tumor oxygenation and vasculature are critical factors in RT efficacy.
- Current methods lack in vivo assessment of tumor vascular response to RT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify biomarkers of RT response using multi-scale photoacoustic imaging (PAI).
- To compare RT response in two human breast cancer xenograft models (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231).
- To investigate regimen-specific vascular effects of hypofractionated versus ablative RT.
Main Methods:
- Multi-scale and multispectral tomographic photoacoustic imaging (PAI) in vivo.
- PAI performed at pre-RT, post-RT, and endpoint, supported by ex vivo immunohistochemistry.
- Comparison of hypofractionated and ablative RT schemes in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 xenografts.
Main Results:
- MCF7 xenografts, with denser vasculature, showed better RT response than MDA-MB-231.
- Higher pre-RT oxygenation correlated with improved outcomes.
- PAI detected regimen-specific vascular changes, including vessel pruning and altered oxygenation.
Conclusions:
- PAI can identify surrogate biomarkers for predicting RT response.
- PAI effectively monitors tumor vascular response to different RT schemes.
- PAI demonstrates potential for assessing radioresistance and guiding treatment decisions.
