Hepatocellular carcinoma angiogenesis assessment-role of ultrasound and mathematical modelling

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the five most common cancers worldwide. Experimental and clinical data indicate that in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor progression is associated with angiogenesis and that an increase in microvascular density is associated with a poor prognosis. Ultrasound is an attractive modality for imaging angiogenesis because of the ease with which it can be repeated without exposing the patient to any risk. The ready repeatability of ultrasound is proving useful in following tumour response to conventional and novel antitumour drugs. The tumour growth and its treatment response are the subjects of present interest which concerns the oncologic community worldwide. Cancer research has undergone radical changes in the past few years. The next big step will be to implement mathematical modeling approaches to interrogate the enormous amount of data being produced and extract useful answers. In summary, this paper illustrates how mathematical models mighty be used to investigate promising US techniques for an in vivo, non-invasive, globally quantification of tumour´s morphological and functional changes.