A special MRI scan may spot a key tumor change without surgery
Original title: Preoperative Prediction of H3 K27 Alteration Status in Diffuse Midline Glioma Using Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Imaging-based Habitat Imaging.
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 a look back at past patient scans, and it is not used in regular care yet.
The short version
A scan may show doctors an important gene change in a brain tumor, without taking tissue.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at brain scans from 153 patients with diffuse midline 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. 126 of them were adults. They asked whether a special MRI method could tell which tumors had the H3 K27 change.
What they found. Tumors with the H3 K27 change looked different on the scans. They showed more blood flow in parts of the tumor. They also had a bigger area of high blood flow. A model that mixed scan results with patient details, like age, did better than scans alone.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Today, doctors need a tissue sample to find this change. The change matters for how a tumor may act and how it is treated. If a scan can point to it, some people might get that answer sooner, or without an operation.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment, and it is not a cure. It was one look back at scans that were already taken. The method has not been tested going forward in new patients. It is not part of normal care, and it does not replace a tissue sample now.
Source: PubMed, August 20, 2026 · Read the original
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