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Optoacoustic imaging systems provide a unique opportunity to visualize, with high spatial resolution, the distribution of optical energy in opaque biological tissues and even to visualize the distribution of optically absorbing molecules in tissues. Since hemoglobin of blood is the main tissue chromophore that dominates optical absorption in the near-infrared spectral range, the optoacoustic imaging is well suitable for visualization of blood distributions associated with various diseases, such as cancer and atherosclerosis. Design of optoacoustic systems for two-dimensional and three-dimensional imaging and their applications in clinical and preclinical oncology will be presented.

Recent developments of laser optoacoustic imaging system, a new medical imaging modality utilizing endogenous contrast of blood enhanced with exogenous contrast of gold nanoparticles for real-time high-resolution high-sensitivity detection of cancer and monitoring of cancer therapy are reviewed.

We report first clinical results of diagnostic imaging of breast cancer patients with optoacoustic tomography (OAT). OAT combines the most compelling features of light and sound for medical imaging: high tissue contrast and excellent resolution. Aggressive malignant tumors were diagnosed based on relative concentration of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin in the tumor microvasculature. Optoacoustic images of breast cancer were acquired at two laser wavelengths matching maximum of oxyhemoglobin (1064-nm) and deoxyhemoglobin (760-nm). Quantitative analysis of two-color optoacoustic images was correlated with immunohistology of biopsy specimens. The possibility for noninvasive differentiation of malignant carcinoma from benign fibroadenoma was demonstrated.