| Summary: | Image-based biomarkers are used increasingly to investigate tumour biology and to monitor response to conventional and novel therapies. In particular, image biomarkers have been applied extensively to studies of tumour angiogenesis and are beginning to show promise in the investigation of tumour hypoxia. However, at present few MR and CT image biomarkers have shown clear beneficial application in routine clinical practice. In the drugs trial setting there is evidence that image biomarkers can detect drug effect, but few studies have provided useful insights Into drug mechanism of action. Furthermore, development of MR and CT image biomarkers has focused largely on tumour angiogenesis. Application to other fields such as hypoxia, has been limited. Four studies are presented in this thesis that either identify and apply novel biomarkers of the tumour microenvironment to clinical studies, or demonstrate how application of existing biomarkers can facilitate improved understanding of drug mechanism.
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