ABSTRACT

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. 11.5% of breast cancer patients are at distant stage and mortality is due to metastases rather than primary disease. Experimental breast cancer tumor models are validated methods to examine the pathogenesis of cancer, the onset of the neoplastic process, and progression. The development of animal models for breast cancer research has been conducted in the last century. Imaging methods in breast cancer are used for tumor localization, quantification of tumor mass, imaging of genes and proteins, evaluation of tumor microenvironment, evaluation of tumor cell proliferation and metabolism, and treatment response evaluation. Since human breast cancer is a heterogeneous group of diseases in terms of genetics and phenotype, it is not possible for a single model to adequately address all aspects of breast cancer biology. Considering that each model has advantages and disadvantages compared to each other, the most suitable model should be chosen in order to verify the thesis of the study.