Latest Advances in Imaging Oxidative Stress in Cancer

Oxidative stress is the imbalance of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the action of neutralizing antioxidant mechanisms. If left unchecked, the deleterious effects of oxidative stress result in damage to DNA, proteins, and membranes, ultimately leading to cell death. Tumors are highly proliferative and consequently generate high levels of mitochondrial ROS. To compensate for this and maintain redox homeostasis, cancer cells upregulate protective antioxidant pathways, which are further amplified in drug-resistant tumors. This review provides an overview of the latest molecular imaging techniques designed to image oxidative stress in cancer. New probes can now assess heterogeneous ROS and antioxidant production within tumors and across lesions. Together, the noninvasive imaging of these dynamic processes holds great promise for monitoring response to treatment and predicting drug resistance and may provide insight into the metastatic potential of tumors.