Functional imaging of angiogenesis in an orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a major unsolved health problem. The estimated overall 5-year survival rate of only 1-4% is due to aggressiveness of the disease and the lack of effective systemic therapies. Most pancreatic cancer-related deaths are due to the development of metastases, which represents the culmination of a complex interaction between the host organism and neoplastic cells within the primary tumor. Therefore, the study of tumor-host interaction in the context of the whole organism is necessary to evaluate the pathogenesis of tumor growth and metastasis so that effective therapies can be developed. Recent advances in functional imaging combined with animal models that faithfully recreate the biology of human tumors have elevated our ability to examine these complex interactions. In this review, we will use the example of orthotopic mouse models of pancreatic cancer as a tool to survey the challenges and possibilities of functional imaging of angiogenesis, a critical determinant of metastasis.