New test could revolutionize care.

• Position: Brain Tumors - Brief article

What is believed to be the first clinical application of a new imaging technique to diagnose brain tumors has been developed by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. The unique test could preclude the need for surgery in patients whose tumors are located in areas of the brain too dangerous to biopsy. This new magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) technique provides a definitive diagnosis of cancer based on imaging of a protein associated with a mutated gene found in 80% of low- and intermediate-grade gliomas. Presence of the mutation also means a better prognosis.

"To our knowledge, this is the only direct metabolic consequence of a genetic mutation in a cancer cell that can be identified through noninvasive imaging," notes Elizabeth Maher, associate professor of internal medicine and senior author of the study.

The test was developed by modifying the settings of a magnetic...