MRI scans may show gene changes in glioma without surgery
Original title: Noninvasive Prediction of TP53 Gene Status and ATRX Gene Status in IDH-Mutant Glioma Using Multimodal MRI: Incorporating Morphological, Spectroscopic, Diffusion, and Perfusion 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 scans from people already treated, not a tested tool doctors can use yet.
The short version
Special MRI scans might tell doctors about certain gene changes in a brain tumor, without needing a tissue sample.
What was studied. Researchers looked back at scans from 106 people with 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 glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells. Those are the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4. The grade says how the tumor is expected to act. See the glossary. They checked whether different types of MRI could predict two gene changes, called TP53: A gene checked on the tumor tissue. Whether it has changed is one of the findings used to name an astrocytoma. Ask your team whether the change they found was in the tumor only. See the glossary and 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 they found. Tumors with the TP53: A gene checked on the tumor tissue. Whether it has changed is one of the findings used to name an astrocytoma. Ask your team whether the change they found was in the tumor only. See the glossary change showed different chemical signals on the scans than tumors without it. Tumors with the 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 change also looked different in some ways. The scan model for ATRX was more accurate than the model for TP53. Some scan measures showed no useful difference at all.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Doctors already use tissue samples to find these gene changes. This study suggests scans might one day give a hint about them before surgery. That could help with planning. It does not change how you are tested or treated today.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean scans can replace a tissue sample. It is not a treatment, and it is not a cure. This was a look back at old scans from one group of patients. Work like this has to be tested in new patients before it can be trusted in everyday care. Your care team still needs lab testing to know your tumor's gene changes.
Source: PubMed, July 12, 2026 · Read the original
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