Breast cancer incidence is rising globally, making it the leading cause of cancer death in women. Conventional imaging—mammography, ultrasound, and MRI—remains essential but limited: mammography performs poorly in dense breasts, ultrasound is operator-dependent with low specificity, and MRI is costly, slow, and unsuitable for real-time monitoring. This highlights the need for a fast, safe, and highly sensitive imaging tool effective in dense tissue and capable of tracking treatment dynamically.
Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is an emerging noninvasive technique that uses laser-induced ultrasound waves to map tissue optical absorption, primarily reflecting blood content. It offers high resolution and contrast, functional imaging of parameters such as oxygen saturation and hemoglobin, and rapid, multimodal operation that can integrate with ultrasound.
PAI systems for breast imaging include bed-based systems (e.g., PACT, PAM) for whole-breast 3D visualization and handheld systems (e.g., Imagio®, MSOT) for localized lesion imaging and real-time evaluation. Clinical studies show PAI effectively visualizes abnormal vasculature and tumor oxygenation, providing functional and molecular insights for early detection and treatment monitoring.