A new type of PET scan may help show when a high-grade brain tumor has come back
Original title: High-grade glial tumors imaging by means of gallium-68 fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-04 PET-computed tomography in correlation with histopathology fibroblast activation protein analysis.
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 was a very small first look in people, and the scan is not yet part of regular care.
The short version
In a small study, a new scan matched up well with whether a brain tumor was growing again.
What was studied. Researchers studied 15 people with high-grade gliomas, which are WHO grade 3 and grade 4 brain tumors. Their MRI scans suggested the tumor might have come back, so each person also had a PET-CT scan using a tracer called gallium-68 FAPi-04.
What they found. The scan measured how much tracer the tumor took up compared to normal brain tissue. Tumors with more tracer were more likely to keep growing. The scan spotted every person whose tumor did grow, and it was correct 88.9% of the time in the people whose tumor did not grow. Whole-body pictures also raised the question of spread to the bone in three patients and to the liver in one patient, but the doctors could not confirm this because those patients died a short time after the scan.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This is a test, not a treatment. It may one day give doctors another way to tell whether a spot on an MRI is tumor growing back. Right now that question can be hard to answer. The researchers also think the same target might be used for treatment someday, but that has not been tested here.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the scan is ready for you. Only 15 people were studied, which is very small. A result this small can change when more people are tested. This scan is not widely available and is not part of standard care. It does not treat the tumor, and it is not a cure. Ask your own team what scans make sense for you.
Source: PubMed, July 15, 2026 · Read the original
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