AI reading MRI scans may hint at a tumor's gene changes
Original title: Artificial Intelligence for the Preoperative Molecular Characterization of Adult-Type Diffuse High-Grade Gliomas: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This looks across many earlier studies rather than running a new one.
This is a review of past studies, not a new treatment or test you can get.
The short version
Doctors are testing if AI can read an MRI scan to guess a brain tumor's gene changes before surgery.
What was studied. Researchers pulled together past studies of AI that reads MRI scans. Nineteen studies were included. The AI tried to guess gene changes in fast growing brain tumors called high grade gliomas.
What they found. The AI did best at spotting two gene changes, called ATRX: A gene checked on the pathology report. Whether the tumor cells still make the ATRX protein helps sort a glioma into one type or another. See the glossary loss and IDH gene change: A small change in a tumor's IDH gene. It is the first thing your team looks at when naming an adult glioma, and it can affect which treatments are offered. Your pathology report says whether your tumor has it. See the glossary. It did less well with a marker called MGMT promoter methylation: MGMT is a gene whose protein repairs damage to a tumor's DNA. Methylation turns it down. Your report says how much, and your team uses that when they choose chemotherapy. The line between high and low is not settled. See the glossary. It did poorly with two others, called EGFR and PTEN. When the AI was tested on scans from other hospitals, it did much worse. In 79% of the studies, the way the AI was tested could have made the results look better than they were.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: One day, an MRI scan might tell doctors more about a tumor before surgery. That could mean fewer tests that go into the body. For now, doctors still need a tissue sample to know a tumor's gene changes for sure.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean AI can take the place of a tissue sample today. No new treatment was tested here. This was a review of older studies, not a new trial in people. The team said the numbers likely look better than they would in real care. This is not a cure, and it does not change your care right now.
Source: PubMed, September 25, 2026 · Read the original
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