Treating brain cancer is challenging, especially when dealing with a common type called glioma, which has a low five-year survival rate. In a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Mayo Clinic discuss a new surgical platform that provides crucial information about tumor treatment during surgery, allowing for quick decision-making.l decision-making about tumor treatment within minutes. Time is of the utmost importance when dealing with aggressive malignant tumors.
The platform uses mass spectrometry to quickly identify a key gene mutation in brain cancer, known as isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations. Mass spectrometry is a sensitive technique used to analyze substances in tissue samples, including those altered in cancer.
The study involved more than 240 small tissue biopsies from patients undergoing asleep and awake brain surgery for suspected glioma at Mayo Clinic between 2021 and 2023, and an additional 137 biopsies fr rnrnAn international team of researchers worked with neurosurgeons to take biopsy samples from the center of a tumor and surrounding areas to analyze for mutations and assess tumor spread. During surgery, tissue samples were placed on glass slides steps away from the patients and then analyzed using a mass spectrometer. This quick analysis, within two minutes, allowed researchers to determine the presence of an IDH mutation. The researchers believe that this platform not only enables real-time diagnosis but also helps surgeons determine a patient’s prognosis and perform tumor resection to improve patient outcomes.The researchers are hoping that the new platform will allow surgeons to customize treatment based on the molecular characteristics of a tumor during surgery, providing a more individualized approach to medicine. They also aim to deliver new therapies targeting IDH mutations in the operating room, offering localized treatment before patients are discharged. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, M.D., the senior author of the study and the dean of research and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Mayo Cl, expressed the potential of identifying mutations during brain surgery to provide immediate treatment.
Researchers in Florida have made significant progress in the fight against cancer. The director of the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Research Laboratory, Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa, stated that by diagnosing IDH gene mutations with 100% accuracy, they will be able to bring the fight against cancer to the operating room before chemotherapy and radiation treatments begin. The researchers are also working on identifying other signatures in tumors where the mutation is absent, and plan to expand their findings to include other types of brain cancers.
