Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) has highly desirable features but has struggled with clinical translation. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a new minimally invasive treatment that facilitates thermal tumor destruction using NIR lasers and thin optical fibers placed into the tumor. Here we show that bulk tissue temperature imaging for PTT guidance is achievable at centimeters of depth when a task-specific instrument is designed and built. Furthermore, we highlight a PTT guidance platform prototype including PAI thermometry and MRI-compatible diffuse optical treatment response probe, which when combined with tumor localizing nanoparticles (Porphysomes) provide the 3 main features required for clinical translation of PTT, i.e., tumor localization, tissue temperature, and treatment response. Visualization of pure temperature contrast in tissue mimicking coagulating phantoms and ex-vivo tissues is shown, as well as clinical in-patient optical monitoring of PTT for prostate cancer.
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