TRACED: In vivo imaging of extracellular intrinsic diffusivity, tortuosity, cell size distribution and cell density in human glioma patients
Reading tumor cell size and density from brain MRI scans without a biopsy
Researchers developed TRACED, a new method that extracts detailed information about tumor structure directly from standard MRI scans of brain cancer patients. The technique measures cell size, cell density, and how easily water moves through tumor tissue — measurements previously only possible through invasive biopsies — and the team verified these measurements against actual tumor tissue samples from two patients.
Brain tumor surgery and treatment decisions depend on understanding tumor structure, but biopsies are invasive, risky, and only sample one small location. This MRI-based approach could let doctors assess tumor properties across the entire tumor without any biopsy, potentially improving treatment planning and monitoring how tumors respond to therapy.