A scan that may show where glioblastoma comes back
Original title: Combined PET imaging of tumor hypoxia and proliferation in Glioblastoma using a single injection of 18F-FMISO and 18F-FLT: Association with sites of subsequent recurrence.
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.
A very small first study in people that watched what happened, not a proven treatment.
The short version
In a small first study, a new type of brain scan pointed to the spots where tumors later grew back.
What was studied. Doctors studied seven people with grade 4 glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells. Those are the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4. The grade says how the tumor is expected to act. See the glossary. Before surgery, each had a PET scan that used two tracers at once, plus an MRI. One tracer looks for low oxygen in the tumor. The other looks for fast-growing cells.
What they found. The PET scan lit up in all of the tumor spots the team looked at. It often showed tumor in places the MRI did not mark. Of six people who had surgery, four had the tumor come back within 3.3 months. Each time, it came back in a spot the PET scan had lit up but surgery had not removed. The two people whose lit-up areas were fully removed went longer before the tumor grew again. One of them lived more than 36 months.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This kind of scan might one day help surgeons and radiation doctors see the full tumor better. That could help them treat the parts most likely to come back. For now it is a test idea, not something you can ask for as part of care.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a new treatment. It was a very small first study in seven people, and the scan was only compared to what happened later. It does not show that using this scan helps people live longer. It is not a cure, and it is not ready for everyday care. Much larger studies are needed first.
Source: PubMed, November 1, 2026 · Read the original
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