Tumor angiogenesis is a major step in
tumor progression to clinically symptomatic
cancer and thus a potential target for
cancer therapy. It is essential to understand the fundamental mechanisms of the angiogenic processes to provide a rational for testing inhibitory strategies for
cancer treatment. The dorsal skin fold chamber provides a suitable (chronic) model for intravital microscopy to monitor the same
tumor in time-lapse imaging series and in real-time functional analysis e.g., of blood flow. Adaptation of this model to several rodent species and
tumor types has led to numerous physical and
drug based
therapy options. With modification of implantation techniques, motility and invasion of individual cells can be visualized, in addition to angiogenesis and microcirculation. Modern fluorescent techniques such as ex vivo labelling of specific cell populations and the introduction of stably fluorescent
protein expressing cell lines further enhance the suitability of this technique. In addition,
laser scanning and multiphoton microscopy in combination with genetically altered mouse strains and cell lines are making the
DCSF even more attractive for mechanistic and interventional studies in
cancer research. Here we review the preparation as well as the applications of the
DCSF in
tumor angiogenesis.