A special brain scan may help show how fast a glioma is growing
Original title: Gliomas grading prediction using multicenter 3T Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
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 looked back at scans from people, but it is not a proven test yet.
The short version
A scan that measures brain chemicals may help doctors judge a 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 without surgery.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at scan records from 60 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 patients at 3 hospitals. The scan, called MRS, measures chemicals in brain tissue. They tested 4 chemical measures.
What they found. Two of the chemical measures were different in slow growing and fast growing gliomas. When checked, these measures were right about 75% of the time. The team set a cutoff using two hospitals, then tested it at a third. One measure was right 77.78%, 100%, and 65% of the time.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Doctors may be able to use this scan to judge a tumor's grade. That could help with diagnosis and planning care. This type of scan is already used in brain care today.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment, and it is not a cure. The study only looked back at old scan records from a small group. The results were not the same at every hospital. Much more work is needed before one shared rule can be used everywhere.
Source: PubMed, July 31, 2026 · Read the original
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