Washington, Sept. 17 (SANA)Researchers at Children’s HospitalLos Angeleshave developed a non-invasive imaging approach that may help identify molecular subtypes of medulloblastoma in children before surgery, using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

The technique can be performed alongside a standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and adds about five minutes to the examination, according toMedical Xpress.

The researchers analyzed MRS data from 95 children with medulloblastoma to identify metabolic differences among the tumor’s four molecular groups. The study’s findings were published in the journalNeuro-Oncology.

The study found distinct metabolic patterns among the four groups. Group 3 tumors showed higher levels of taurine, while Group 4 tumors showed higher levels of choline and glycine. The WNT and SHH groups also showed differences in several metabolic compounds.

Researchers used machine-learning techniques to analyze imaging data and classify the tumor groups. The model achieved an area under the curve (AUC) score of 0.94, indicating promising performance in distinguishing between the molecular subtypes.

The researchers said MRS could provide information about the chemical characteristics of tumors without requiring a surgical biopsy during the initial diagnostic stage.

They noted that further studies involving larger numbers of patients are needed to confirm the findings and assess how the technique could support treatment planning.

Medulloblastoma is a fast-growing brain tumor that usually develops in the cerebellum and is among the most common central nervous system tumors in children.