Syringe touch spray tandem mass spectrometry distinguished glioma from nontumor brain tissue and classified tumors by molecular subtype and grade in approximately 3 minutes.
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The study analyzed 86 human brain specimens, including 78 glioma samples and 8 nontumor samples, using 24,492 metabolite ratios.
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The N-acetylaspartate-to-carnitine ratio distinguished glioma from nontumor tissue with 97% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 98% accuracy against clinical diagnoses.
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Ratios involving 2-hydroxyglutarate separated IDH-mutant from IDH-wild-type samples and distinguished some glioma grades in the study cohort.
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In mixed tumor and normal tissue, some samples with substantial tumor content fell below the tumor-core cutoff, potentially limiting detection at heterogeneous margins.
Harold Burstein, MD, PhD, and Rachel Freedman, MD, MPH discuss the results of a new study looking at the impact of food access and poverty on patients with metastatic breast cancer. They also discuss the new Dana-Farber food pantry and patient navigators who help coordinate care.