Mesoscopic and macroscopic optoacoustic imaging of cancer

Optoacoustic imaging combines the rich contrast of optical methods with the resolution of ultrasound imaging. It can therefore deliver optical visualization of cancer far deeper in tissue than optical microscopy and other conventional optical imaging methods. Technological progress and novel contrast media have resulted in optoacoustic imaging being propagated to basic cancer research and in clinical translation projects. We briefly review recent technological advances, showcase the ability to resolve unique cancer biomarkers based on spectral features at different imaging scales, and highlight the imaging performance achieved in preclinical and clinical imaging applications.