MRI scans may give clues about a brain tumor before surgery
Original title: Multiparametric MRI with DWI, SWI, and DSC-PWI for preoperative prediction of Ki-67, IDH, and ATRX in adult-type diffuse gliomas.
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 people, but it is not yet proven for everyday care.
The short version
Doctors checked if special MRI pictures can hint at what a brain tumor is like, before surgery.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at records of 126 adults with a type of brain tumor called diffuse glioma: A glioma whose cells spread out into the brain around it instead of staying in one lump. That is why the edge on a scan is not a clean line. See the glossary. Each person had several kinds of MRI scans. The team compared the scan readings to lab tests done on the tumor tissue.
What they found. Tumors that were growing faster looked different on the scans. In those tumors, water moved less freely, and blood flow readings were higher. Among the 126 people, 84.1% had grade 4 tumors, the fastest growing kind. Blood flow readings were also higher in tumors that still had a protein called ATRX: A gene checked on the pathology report. The tumor cells may or may not still make the ATRX protein. Which one it is helps sort a glioma into one type or another. See the glossary.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Scans might one day help doctors learn more about a tumor before surgery. That could help with planning. For now, lab tests on tumor tissue are still needed to know what a tumor is.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a scan can take the place of a biopsy. The team looked back at old records, so this was not a planned trial. No treatment was tested here, and this is not a cure. The authors say larger studies are needed before this changes care.
Source: PubMed, July 23, 2026 · Read the original
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