Tumor cells found in the blood of people with glioblastoma
Original title: Beyond the Brain: Circulating Tumor Cells as a Tool for Diagnosis and Monitoring.
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 studied in a small group of people, and it is a test being checked, not proven care.
The short version
Researchers found brain tumor cells floating in the blood, and that may one day lead to a blood test for glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary.
What was studied. Researchers looked at blood from 27 people with glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary, an aggressive brain tumor. They searched the blood for tumor cells and compared those cells to each person's own tumor.
What they found. The tumor cells in the blood carried some of the same genetic changes as the tumor in the brain. People with a new glioblastoma: The fastest-growing type of glioma (grade 4). Treatment usually starts soon after diagnosis: surgery first, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary had more of these cells in their blood than people whose tumor had come back, and more than healthy people. The researchers set a mark of 4 tumor cells per 5 mL of blood to help tell glioblastoma apart from conditions that are not cancer.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Today, doctors usually need tissue from the tumor to learn about it. A blood test could one day give some of that information in an easier way. It might also help tell a tumor apart from tissue damage caused by radiation.
What it doesn't mean: This is not a treatment. It does not shrink a tumor and it is not a cure. It is early research on a test, done in a small group of 27 people. The researchers said larger studies are needed to confirm it. Your care team cannot order this test as part of normal care right now.
Source: PubMed, July 23, 2026 · Read the original
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