Clinical oncology can benefit substantially from imaging technologies that reveal physiological characteristics with multiscale observations. Complementing conventional imaging modalities, photoacoustic imaging (PAI) offers rapid imaging (for example, cross-sectional imaging in real time or whole-breast scanning in 10–15 s), scalably high levels of spatial resolution, safe operation and adaptable configurations. Most importantly, this novel imaging modality provides informative optical contrast that reveals details on anatomical, functional, molecular and histological features. In this Review, we describe the current state of development of PAI and the emerging roles of this technology in cancer screening, diagnosis and therapy. We comment on the performance of cutting-edge photoacoustic platforms, and discuss their clinical applications and utility in various clinical studies. Notably, the clinical translation of PAI is accelerating in the areas of macroscopic and mesoscopic imaging for patients with breast or skin cancers, as well as in microscopic imaging for histopathology. We also highlight the potential of future developments in technological capabilities and their clinical implications, which we anticipate will lead to PAI becoming a desirable and widely used imaging modality in oncological research and practice.

临床肿瘤学可以从通过多尺度观察揭示生理特征的成像技术中获益良多。作为传统成像方式的补充，光声成像 (PAI) 提供快速成像（例如，实时横截面成像或 10-15 秒内的全乳房扫描）、可扩展的高水平空间分辨率、安全操作和适应性配置。最重要的是，这种新颖的成像方式提供了信息丰富的光学对比，揭示了解剖学、功能、分子和组织学特征的细节。在这篇综述中，我们描述了 PAI 的当前发展状态以及该技术在癌症筛查、诊断和治疗中的新兴作用。我们评论尖端光声平台的性能，并讨论它们在各种临床研究中的临床应用和效用。值得注意的是，PAI 的临床转化在乳腺癌或皮肤癌患者的宏观和细观成像领域以及组织病理学的显微成像领域正在加速。我们还强调了未来技术能力发展的潜力及其临床意义，我们预计这将导致 PAI 成为肿瘤学研究和实践中理想且广泛使用的成像方式。