A blood flow CT scan may help tell two brain tumors apart
Original title: CT Perfusion in the differential diagnosis of glioblastomas and primary central nervous system lymphomas.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
Doctors looked back at scans already taken in people at one hospital, so it is not yet proven.
The short version
A special CT scan may help doctors tell glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary from a brain lymphoma before surgery.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at scans from 122 patients at one hospital. 57 had a brain lymphoma and 65 had glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. All used a CT scan that measures blood flow in the tumor.
What they found. Glioblastomas had more blood flow and more blood inside them than the lymphomas. The lymphomas showed more leaky blood vessels. Several of these blood flow measures told the two tumor types apart well. One measure of how long blood took to pass through was less helpful.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This scan may help when a regular CT or MRI cannot tell which tumor it is. Knowing the type sooner can help doctors plan care. The tumor type still has to be confirmed by testing tissue.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment, and it is not a cure. It only helps with telling tumors apart. The study looked back at scans already taken at a single hospital. It does not replace a tissue test. More study at other hospitals is needed before this becomes routine everywhere.
Source: PubMed, October 21, 2026 · Read the original
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