A brain scan tool may help tell two glioma types apart
Original title: Nomogram combining visual imaging and radiomics analysis for distinguishing diffuse hemispheric glioma, H3 G34-mutant from adult-type diffuse high-grade gliomas.
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 looked back at scans from people, and the tool is not in use yet.
The short version
Doctors may be able to use MRI scans to spot a rare glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary type before surgery.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at MRI scans from 129 people with high-grade gliomas. 50 people had a type called H3 G34-mutant DHG. 79 had adult-type high-grade glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are graded 1 to 4 by how fast they tend to grow. See the glossary. The team built a tool to tell the two apart from the scans.
What they found. Two things helped tell the groups apart. One was the person's age. The other was a scan sign called diffusion restriction, which shows how water moves inside the tumor. A tool that mixed scan features with computer analysis matched the lab results better than either part alone.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Today, doctors need tumor tissue from surgery to know which type it is. A scan tool like this might give a good guess sooner. That could help a care team plan ahead.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment, and it is not a cure. The team looked back at old scans from one group of patients. The tool was not tested on new patients as their care happened. It does not replace lab testing of tumor tissue. You cannot ask for this at a clinic today.
Source: PubMed, August 25, 2026 · Read the original
This plain-language summary was written by AI and published automatically after passing our automatic safety checks. How we write.