A new way to read PET scans may hint at a glioma's gene type
Original title: Glucose Hypometabolic Pattern and Prediction of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Status in Non-Contrast-Enhanced Glioma Using Z-Score-Based 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography.
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.
Researchers looked back at scans from real patients, but this is not yet a proven test doctors can use.
The short version
Researchers looked at brain scans to see if they could tell which gene change a 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 has, without surgery.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at scans from 116 people with a 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 in the upper part of the brain. The scans were FDG PET scans, which show how the brain uses sugar. The group included 26 glioblastomas, 54 astrocytomas, and 36 oligodendrogliomas.
What they found. The team used a computer method to map areas where the tumor used less sugar than normal brain tissue. Tumors with a change in the IDH gene had more of these very low areas. Their low areas were also more round in shape. When both features were small or low, the tumor was usually IDH-wildtype, in 75% of cases. When neither feature was present, the tumor was usually IDH gene change: A small change in a tumor's IDH gene. Tumors with this change often grow more slowly and may respond to different treatments. Your pathology report says whether your tumor has it. See the glossary, in 94.8% of cases.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: IDH status matters because it helps doctors name the tumor type and plan care. Right now that answer usually comes from tissue taken during surgery or a biopsy. This work suggests a scan might one day give doctors a good guess ahead of time. It could help with planning, but it would not replace testing the tissue.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment. Nothing here shrinks a tumor or helps anyone live longer. It is not a cure, and it does not promise one. This was a look back at old scans at one center, not a trial. The method is not standard care and is not something you can ask for at a scan appointment today. It also got the answer wrong for some people, so it is not a replacement for a biopsy.
Source: PubMed, July 17, 2026 · Read the original
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