Human Intravital Microscopy

Human intravital microscopy (HIVM) permits the real-time investigation of tumor vessels in vivo. Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility and clinical utility of this technique to characterize tumor-associated vessels in real time. While the importance of tumor vessels in cancer progression and resistance to anticancer therapies has largely been studied using animal models, HIVM has recently provided insight into the significant role of tumor vessels as a barrier to cancer treatment delivery and a potential biomarker for worse outcomes. In this chapter, the devices and methods to implement HIVM are presented. Techniques in postimaging acquisition, pathologic correlative, and statistical analyses to investigate HIVM tumor vessel characteristics with cancer-specific outcomes are also described. Lastly, the future potential applications of HIVM are discussed.