A scoring tool to tell real tumor growth from a look alike after radiation
Original title: Radiomics and clinical data predict pseudoprogression after radiotherapy in high-grade glioma.
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 an early study that looked back at past patient records at one hospital, and the tool is not in use yet.
The short version
Doctors built a computer tool to help tell whether a scan after radiation shows the tumor growing or a false alarm.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at 222 people with grade 3 or grade 4 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 treated at one hospital. All had surgery and then radiation. A team of doctors first reviewed each case to decide which scan changes were false alarms and which were real growth. In 13 of the false alarm cases, tissue was checked under a microscope to be sure.
What they found. A computer measured 3,404 small details in the scans. After testing which details were reliable, 17 were kept to build a score. The tool that combined this scan score with blood test results, a tumor gene marker, and treatment information did a better job of telling false alarms from real growth than the scan score alone or the clinic information alone.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: A false alarm on a scan can lead to surgery a person did not need. It can also lead to changing treatment too soon, or waiting too long to change it. A tool like this could one day help doctors feel more sure about what a scan is showing.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the tool is ready for your care. It is not a treatment, and it is not a cure. This was an early study that looked back at old records from a single hospital. The tool was only checked against patients from that same group, not at other hospitals. The authors say it still needs to be tested elsewhere. For now, your own care team decides what your scan means.
Source: PubMed, July 20, 2026 · Read the original
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