Abstract
Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in American men and the second leading cause of deaths from cancer,
after lung cancer. The tumor usually grows slowly and remains confined to the gland for many years. During this time,
the tumor produces little or no symptoms or outward signs. As the cancer advances, however, it can metastasize
throughout other areas of the body, such as the bones, lungs, and liver. Surgical resection, hormonal therapy,
chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the foundation of current prostate cancer therapies. Treatments for prostate cause
both short- and long-term side effects that may be difficult to accept. Molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer
metastasis need to be understood better and new therapies must be developed to selectively target to unique
characteristics of cancer cell growth and metastasis. We have developed the "in vivo microscopy" to study the
mechanisms that govern prostate cancer cell spread through the microenvironment in vivo in real-time confocal near-infrared
fluorescence imaging. A recently developed "in vivo flow cytometer" and optical imaging are used to assess
prostate cancer cell spreading and the circulation kinetics of prostate cancer cells. A real- time quantitative monitoring of
circulating prostate cancer cells by the in vivo flow cytometer will be useful to assess the effectiveness of the potential
therapeutic interventions.
