Scientists have reported that a game-changing cancer test could provide a precise diagnosis of brain cancer in children in just ten minutes. The most common brain tumour in children, medulloblastoma, has four different kinds, but it might take weeks for tests to identify the type so that treatment can start.52 children are diagnosed with these tumours each year; they are fast-growing and have the potential to spread to other parts of the brain and spinal cord.
Researchers from Newcastle University and the University of Birmingham claim to have discovered a less intrusive and faster method of diagnosing medulloblastomas.
After evaluating cancer samples, the scientific team was able to precisely identify the chemical signature of each type of tumour using MRI scans. “Time is so important in cancer diagnosis so our findings on different types of medulloblastoma having a detectable signature metabolism could be game changing for quickly diagnosing and then offering the best possible treatment for children,” said lead author Andrew Peet, an Emeritus Professor of Clinical Paediatric Oncology at the University of Birmingham.
MRI scans of the brain and spine are typically used to diagnose medulloblastoma tumours. In order to evaluate a tumour, doctors may also extract a sample of the tumour or do a lumbar puncture, which is the collection of a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid.
When treating brain cancer, a biopsy is typically performed concurrently with tumour excision surgery. Researchers identified metabolic markers for medulloblastoma, including compounds that functioned as a genetic fingerprint for each of the four different types of tumours, using cell samples from 86 tumours.
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