British Researchers Develop a Method to Diagnose Brain Tumors Within Two Hours

A paper published in the latest issue of the US Journal of Neuro-Oncology reports that researchers and clinicians from the University of Nottingham and other institutions have jointly developed a rapid method for diagnosing brain tumors. This genetic diagnostic method can rapidly detect relevant human gene regions and simultaneously sequence multiple DNA regions, speeding up the entire process and reducing a result that previously took 6–8 weeks to obtain to just 2 hours. The method was clinically practiced in 50 cases, with a diagnostic accuracy as high as 100%. It is mainly used for the diagnosis of primary brain tumors.

Brain tumors, also known as intracranial tumors, arise mainly from nerve cells within the brain, the meninges, primordial germ cells, or peripheral nerves; gliomas are the most common. The incidence of brain tumors is not high—only about 1.5% of all tumors, roughly 7 to 10 cases per 100,000 people, of which about half are malignant.

Because the tumor is located in the body's most important organ, brain tumors usually carry high mortality and disability rates. They press on cranial nerves, causing headache, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, paralysis, and other symptoms similar to those of stroke. If such symptoms persist for many days without relief, the patient should visit a neurology department.

Brain tumors are usually first detected by brain MRI or CT, but to further determine whether a tumor is benign or malignant, pathological analysis and genetic testing are required. The diagnostic method developed at the University of Nottingham determines the tumor's pathological nature from the genetic perspective, helping clinicians make treatment decisions.