How are brain and spine tumors diagnosed?
Pre-surgical MRI studies and the appearance of a tumor during surgery can be vital in suggesting the specific diagnosis. However, the diagnosis can only be confirmed by examination of the tissue within the tumor under a microscope. This system relies heavily on the ability of the pathologist to recognize cellular patterns and has remained essentially unchanged since the 1950’s. An exciting new field in the study of oncology is isolating the genes that are active in these tumors, allowing classification of tumors based on more sophisticated tests.
