IMR Press / FBE / Volume 4 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.2741/e394

Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite (FBE) is published by IMR Press from Volume 13 Issue 2 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Review

Molecular imaging and photodynamic therapy in hepatoblastoma

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1 Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Children`s Hospital, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
2 Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

 

Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed) 2012, 4(1), 487–492; https://doi.org/10.2741/e394
Published: 1 January 2012
Abstract

Molecular imaging is a novel field in cancer research combining various in vivo imaging modalities with molecular biology. Different techniques such as magnetic resonance tomography (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), optical imaging methods (bioluminescence, fluorescence), or combination of these are used in basic research as well as in patients in different tumor entities. In hepatoblastoma (HB), there are only few reports on molecular imaging methods in a preclinical (optical imaging) and clinical setting (PET, PET-CT). Unimprovable treatment outcomes of patients in advanced tumor stages require novel treatment approaches. Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Photodynamic diagnosis allows in vitro and in vivo detection of tumor cells using their fluorescending behaviour. PDT is a novel anticancer treatment approach leading to tumor cell destruction via apoptosis. In hepatoblastoma, there are only few reports on in vitro and in vivo studies using this treatment modality. First results seem to be promising and further studies will be required to further evaluate these techniques and to transfer them into clinical settings. This paper reviews different modalities of molecular imaging, photodynamic diagnosis and photodynamic therapy in childhood hepatoblastoma.

Keywords
Hepatoblastoma
Molecular imaging
Photodynamic diagnosis
Photodynamic therapy
Optical imaging
Fluorescending proteins
Review
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