A blood test that may help tell brain tumors apart
Original title: A novel minimally invasive diagnostic approach of various brain malignancies based on differential miRNA expression.
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.
This used blood samples from people, but the test is not yet proven or available.
The short version
Researchers built a blood test to help spot and tell apart brain tumors, but it is still being worked out.
What was studied. Researchers looked at blood samples from people with different brain tumors. This included 67 people with glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary, 33 with astrocytoma, 6 with oligodendroglioma, 33 with meningioma, 14 with lung cancer that spread to the brain, and 25 with breast cancer that spread to the brain. They measured tiny bits of genetic material in the blood called miRNA.
What they found. Using 10 of these miRNAs, the team built models to tell each tumor type apart. They also listed the genes these miRNAs act on. The team says this is among the first studies to cover this mix of tumor types in one panel.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Today, a brain tumor is usually found after symptoms start, and it takes a biopsy to be sure. A blood test could one day make that easier and faster. It might also help watch for a tumor coming back. For now, it does not change how your care works.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a blood test for brain tumors is ready for you. It is an early study that built and checked a model on stored blood samples. No test like this is approved or offered in a clinic yet. It is not a treatment, and it is not a promise of a cure. Your doctor still needs scans and a biopsy to know what a tumor is.
Source: PubMed, September 29, 2026 · Read the original
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