New MRI technique could sharpen brain tumor biopsies
NCT ID NCT03458676
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study at MD Anderson Cancer Center tests whether advanced MRI (AMRI) can help doctors better target brain tumor biopsies. About 62 adults with brain lesions will get an AMRI scan before standard surgery. Researchers compare biopsy results from AMRI-guided spots to those from conventional imaging to see if AMRI improves accuracy. The goal is to refine how images guide biopsies for more precise diagnosis.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could improve how doctors target brain tumor biopsies, leading to more accurate diagnoses.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 62 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The advanced MRI is not FDA-approved and is used only for research.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 62 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2012
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patient is \>18 years old, agrees to participate in the clinical study and to complete all required visits and evaluations. The pediatric population has a different disease profile from the glioma patients we hope to recruit. To reduce heterogeneity in the patient population we will not consider patients younger than 18 for this study. 2. Patient is a candidate for cerebral tumor resection with lesion suspected to be or previously biopsy proven to be a primary brain tumor. 3. Patient is able to understand and give consent to participation in the study. 4. Patient agrees to undergo, prior to the procedure, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, within 14 days and preferably with 3 days of the planned procedure) with perfusion, diffusion and spectroscopic imaging. As per study chair's judgement, imaging outside this time window will also be permitted, for suspected slow growing tumors. Exclusion Criteria: 1. The patient is found to have unfavorable anatomy to indicate that stereotactic biopsy could not be safely performed. 2. Renal failure as evidenced by a GFR of less than 30 mL/min/1.73m2 for gadolinium based imaging, for iodinated contrast agent we will use the more strict cut-off of 45 mL/min/1.73m2 (Davenport, 2020, Radiology: Use of IV Iodinated contrast media in patients with Kidney Disease: Consensus statement from the ACR and the National Kidney Foundation). This differentiation reflects the different risk profiles of these agents, and are conservative when compared to our clinical practice. In the absence of eGFR lab result, patient is not excluded in the absence of remarkable pathological renal history as confirmed by and in the discretion of the PI. As per current departmental guidelines, late-generation gadolinium contrast agents (such as gadobutrol and gadopiclenol), can still be administered safely in the setting of low renal function, provided clinical risk-benefit is maintained. 3. Pacemakers, electronic stimulation, metallic foreign bodies and devices and/or other conditions that are not MR safe, which include but are not limited to: * electronically, magnetically, and mechanically activated implants * ferromagnetic or electronically operated active devices like automatic cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac pacemakers * metallic splinters in the eye * ferromagnetic hemostatic clips in the central nervous system (CNS) or body * cochlear implants * other pacemakers, e.g., for the carotid sinus * insulin pumps and nerve stimulators * non-MR safe lead wires * prosthetic heart valves (if dehiscence is suspected) * non-ferromagnetic stapedial implants * pregnancy * claustrophobia that does not readily respond to oral medication 4. Allergy to relevant imaging contrast agents, includes allergies to iodine or gadolinium-based contrast agents (if one class of agents is contra-indicated, then imaging with the other can still proceed).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
RECRUITINGHouston, Texas, 77030, United States
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