Target-Specific Imaging of Cathepsin and S100A8/A9 Reflects Specific Features of Malignancy and Enables Estimation of Tumor Malignancy.

Non-invasive in vivo imaging of S100A8 and monocytic proteases allows for differentiation of the tumors' local invasive and systemic metastatic potential in reflecting the TME formation. While proteases augment local tumor cell invasion, solid metastases seem to be dependent on a pro-tumoral microenvironment.