Plasmonic photothermal therapy is an emerging complementary method for treating tumors usually studied pre-clinically in mice with small subcutaneous tumors. In this project, it is conducted on a more realistic orthotopic xenograft renal carcinoma mouse model, while tissue optical properties are monitored non-invasively by diffuse optics. Hybrid diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and diffuse correlation spectroscopy are used to quantify tissue hemodynamics, the accumulated plasmonic nanoparticle concentration and therapy induced physiological changes. The results show the need for personalization and the predictive capabilities of the monitoring, which, in turn, would allow for therapy optimization.
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