A new MRI method maps the different parts inside brain tumors
Original title: Diffusion-Relaxation Correlation Spectroscopic MRI in Adult Gliomas: Spectral Heterogeneity and Associations With Histomolecular Features.
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.
The scan was tried in people, but only as research, not as part of normal care.
The short version
A special MRI scan picked up clues about how a brain tumor is built.
What was studied. Doctors scanned fifty three adults who had a brain tumor and had not started treatment. They used a special MRI method called DR-CSI, then compared the scans with lab tests on the tumor tissue.
What they found. The scan showed different patterns in different parts of each tumor. Some patterns went along with higher grade tumors and faster dividing cells. Other patterns went along with a gene change in the tumor called an IDH gene change: A small change in a tumor's IDH gene. It is the first thing your team looks at when naming an adult glioma, and it can affect which treatments are offered. Your pathology report says whether your tumor has it. See the glossary.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Someday this kind of scan might tell doctors more about a tumor before surgery. That could help them plan care sooner. Right now it is only a research tool.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment, and it is not a cure. It is an early research scan, tested in one small group of people. It cannot replace testing the tumor tissue in a lab. Your doctor does not use this scan in normal care today.
Source: PubMed, October 21, 2026 · Read the original
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