Can an MRI Scan Without Dye Tell Tumor Regrowth From Treatment Changes?
Original title: Machine Learning-Based Comparison of Non-Contrast ASL and DSC-MRI Perfusion for Differentiating Recurrent High-Grade Glioma from Treatment Effects.
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 real patients, but it has not been proven in new studies yet.
The short version
A brain scan that needs no injected dye did about as well as the usual dye scan at spotting high-grade glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary coming back.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at 63 MRI scans from 36 adults treated for high-grade glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary. They compared a scan type that needs no dye with a scan type that uses dye, and also tested a computer program on both.
What they found. Both scan types showed more blood flow when the tumor had come back than when the changes were from treatment. Both did well at telling the two apart, and the dye scan was the most accurate. Two brain scan doctors mostly agreed with each other when reading the scans.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Someday, people who should not get dye, or who want to avoid it, might have a good scan option for follow-up checks. This could help doctors tell if a change on a scan is the tumor or the effects of treatment.
What it doesn't mean: This was a small study that looked back at past scans. It does not change how scans are done today. It is not a new treatment, and it is not a cure. More studies are needed before doctors rely on it.
Source: PubMed, August 22, 2026 · Read the original
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