Advances in clinical application of molecular imaging targets and imaging techniques for breast cancer

With the rapid development of molecular imaging technology, more and more imaging targets have been developed and applied. The imaging of specific molecular targets will contribute to the individualized diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. According to the current studies, the molecular imaging targets of breast cancer can be divided into two categories: receptors and metabolic processes. Receptors include estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor related to angiogenesis, integrin receptor family and so on. In addition, tumor characteristics are also targets of developing tumor-specific tracers. Glucose and choline metabolism, as well as DNA synthesis, increase in tumor cells when compared with normal cells. Avoiding apoptosis is also one of the basic cellular physiological changes in the malignant growth of tumor cells. These specific metabolic processes, like receptors, can also be used as targets for molecular imaging. This paper has reviewed the research advances in specific molecular targets and corresponding imaging methods for breast cancer.