Bridging In Vitro and Murine Breast Cancer Models: Advanced Imaging Across Multiscale Experimental Platforms

Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease characterized by distinct molecular subtypes, dynamic tumor–microenvironment interactions, and variable therapeutic responses. Despite the availability of multiple preclinical platforms, a major challenge remains the lack of a coherent multiscale framework capable of integrating biological complexity across experimental systems. This limitation reduces the predictive power of individual models and highlights the need for complementary strategies that reproduce disease progression across multiple biological scales. In this context, advanced imaging technologies have emerged as essential tools for linking preclinical platforms and enhancing their translational relevance. This review examines how multimodal imaging supports the integration of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo breast cancer models. We discuss how optical imaging, high-frequency ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography/computed tomography, and intravital microscopy provide complementary molecular, functional, anatomical, and cellular information for the longitudinal assessment of tumor growth, metastatic dissemination, microenvironment remodeling, and therapeutic response. Particular attention is given to emerging translational workflows that combine patient-derived models with advanced imaging to investigate drug sensitivity, treatment resistance, and tumor progression within a precision oncology perspective. We also highlight the role of multimodal imaging in biomarker validation across platforms and in the development of clinically relevant preclinical pipelines. Overall, advanced imaging represents a critical translational bridge across breast cancer model systems, improving the predictive value of preclinical studies and supporting imaging-guided precision oncology from bench to bedside.