Uneven brain tissue on MRI scans linked to breast cancer spread
Original title: Choroid plexus asymmetry on routine MRI as an imaging signature of breast cancer brain metastasis
How far along is this research?
This is a preprint. Other scientists have not checked it yet, so treat it as an early signal rather than an answer.
This was a look back at scans from women, not a treatment or a test doctors use.
The short version
A brain scan women already get may hold a clue about cancer spreading to the brain.
What was studied. Researchers looked at brain MRI scans from 1,000 women with breast cancer. In 190 of them, the cancer had spread to the brain. A computer measured a small brain tissue that makes fluid, on the left and right sides.
What they found. The total size of this tissue was the same in both groups. But the left and right sides were more uneven in women whose cancer had spread to the brain. The gap between the two sides grew when there was more cancer in the brain. It did not matter which side of the brain the cancer was on.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This hints that a normal brain scan may hold extra clues. Doctors do not use this measure today. It is a research finding, not a test you can ask for.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean a scan can tell you if cancer has spread. It was a one-time look at scans already taken, not a trial of anything. No treatment was tested here. It is not a cure and it does not change your care today.
Source: medRxiv (preprint), October 14, 2026 · Read the original
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