Not a Clinical Trial study

Women with Breast Cancer who do not respond to chemotherapy may undergo months of treatment with little or no change in tumor size or overall outcome.

The Researchers have demonstrated a previously undescribed "metabolic flare" response observed very early in neoadjuvant treatment in breast cancer patients. The research can determine that this flare is predictive of overall therapy response and is due to both an inflammatory reaction and cell death induced by cytotoxic therapy.

The researcher can use Diffuse Optical Spectroscopic Imaging device to measure and predict the markers of the response in the first weeks of chemo-therapy.

The oxyhemoglobin flare response can predictive of overall pathological response to chemotherapy in human subjects. These vascular changes can indicate the rapid transient increase and then decrease in oxyhemoglobin concentration in the first hours and days after therapeutic administration. The magnitude and time course of the flare response in patients receiving cytotoxic therapy will differ between pathological responders and non-responders. This oxyhemoglobin "flare response" can be observed In tumors where vascular dynamics are intact.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female, not pregnant, not breastfeeding
• greater than 21 years of age but less than 75 years of age
• will be receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer as prescribed by their oncologist

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under 21 year of age
• Female pregnant or breastfeeding

Study population will be selected from an outpatient population of the Cancer Center Clinic, Beckman Laser Medical Clinic of University of California, Irvine and UCI Pacific Breast Care. Subjects with the requisite diagnosis of breast cancer will be candidates for enrollment.