It may be possible to identify the presence of an aggressive brain tumor in children by studying their cerebrospinal fluid through a technique known as “liquid biopsy.” That’s according to new research led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators, published recently in the journal Acta Neuropathalogica.

“We believe this is the first comprehensive, integrated molecular analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid in patients with medulloblastoma,” says Ranjan Perera, director of the Center for RNA Biology at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Currently, doctors diagnose medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children, based on clinical assessment, imaging and biopsies from tumor tissue. Perera says there is an unmet need for diagnostic tests to detect the disease sensitively during the initial presentation and especially during any recurrences, because recurrences are not always seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Liquid biopsy — the molecular analysis of biofluids — is a minimally invasive method that shows promise for detecting and monitoring disease by measuring circulating tumor cells, DNA, RNA or other substances in the urine, blood samples, and cerebrospinal fluid, which bathes the brain and spinal cord.