[Current events about echography in 2006: position of the ultrasound functional imaging for the early evaluation of targeted therapeutics]

Abstract

The early and functional evaluation of new treatments in oncology is a main goal. At present, technical advances in Doppler ultrasonography allow the detection of neovascularization for superficial and deep malignant tumours in order to evaluate the efficiency of new treatments such as antiangiogenic molecules. Contrast agents injection improves the efficiency of this technique and developments of perfusion softwares optimize this detection. Slow flows in tumour microvessels can be detected. Treatment response can be early predicted based on changes in the vascularization before volume modification. The availability of quantification softwares operating from the raw data before their compression for video display affords one and objective quantification of the contrast agent uptake.