Brain scan blood flow patterns and early risk in glioblastoma
Original title: ASL perfusion radiomic heterogeneity is associated with early mortality in IDH-wildtype glioblastoma, beyond tumor volume: a time-varying effect with tumor-aware DTI-ALPS.
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 scans in people, not a treatment being tested.
The short version
An uneven blood flow pattern on scans was linked to a higher risk of dying in the first year.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at brain scans from 322 people with a type of glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary called IDH-wildtype, grade 4. They tested a blood flow scan called ASL, plus a second scan measure, against tumor size and other patient facts.
What they found. People whose scans showed more uneven blood flow were more likely to die within 365 days. This link held even after the team accounted for tumor size. It was strongest in the first 180 days and faded after one year. For survival overall, tumor size explained most of what the team saw. The second scan measure, DTI-ALPS, added nothing.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Blood flow patterns on a scan may one day help doctors spot higher early risk. Right now this is a research finding, not a test used in care.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a new treatment and it is not a cure. The team only looked back at scans that were already taken. They say the results are early ideas that must be checked in new studies at more than one hospital. Nothing here changes the care you get today.
Source: PubMed, September 9, 2026 · Read the original
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