Research to date has documented the process of angiogenesis that occurs in the development of breast cancer. All solid breast tumors become clinically relevant once they develop a blood supply. Recent developments in optical imaging technology and image processing make it possible to identify the minute vascular changes associated with a growing cancer in the breast at its earliest stages. These changes constitute a unique vascular profile that has the potential to indicate the presence of breast cancer before a cancerous lesion is discernable.

(Photo courtesy of Dr. David Cheresh, Scripps Research Institute.)