A special MRI scan may help tell tumor growth from swelling
Original title: Differentiating true progression from pseudoprogression in glioblastomas: Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI habitat analysis with parsimonious pharmacokinetic model.
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.
It was tried on scans from people, but it is not yet proven for regular care.
The short version
After treatment, a new way of reading MRI scans may show whether a glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary is really growing.
What was studied. Researchers studied MRI scans from 82 people with glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. In 53 of them the tumor was truly growing. In 29 the changes were not real growth. Computer programs were used to study the scan data.
What they found. The scans showed differences in how blood leaked into the tumor area. Spots with both high leaking and more fluid space were the clearest clue. The best computer program gave the right answer 83% of the time.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: On a normal scan, growth and swelling can look the same. This way of reading scans might help doctors tell them apart. That could help them decide what to do next.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment and not a cure. It was a study of scans from a small group of people. The computer still got some cases wrong. This is early work, not a test your doctor can use today. It needs to be checked in more people first.
Source: PubMed, October 29, 2026 · Read the original
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