New Biomechanical MRI Biomarker Quantifies Brain Tumor Infiltration to Predict Patient Survival

UPV researchers develop the Dynamic Infiltration Rate (DIR) biomarker to measure brain tumor growth and infiltration, providing a new tool for glioblastoma prognosis.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 3, 2026, 11:18 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Universitat Politècnica de València

Measuring the Biomechanical Impact of Glioblastoma

The clinical diagnosis of glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, has historically relied on simple measurements of tumor size and structural displacement. However, these traditional metrics often fail to capture the tumor’s most lethal characteristic: its ability to infiltrate healthy brain tissue. A new study published in the journal Medical Physics by the Biomedical Data Science Laboratory (BDSLab) introduces a method to objectively quantify this growth pattern by analyzing the mechanical pressure a tumor exerts on the surrounding brain.

The Innovation of the Dynamic Infiltration Rate

The research team, in collaboration with Oslo University Hospital, developed the Dynamic Infiltration Rate (DIR) to serve as a high-fidelity biomarker for tumor aggressiveness. Unlike static imaging, the DIR utilizes longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to create tissue compression maps. These maps allow scientists to evaluate whether a tumor is primarily "proliferative"—meaning it grows by physically compressing and pushing against healthy structures—or "infiltrative," where it expands into the brain without significant mechanical displacement.

Stratifying Patient Prognosis with Quantitative Data

The DIR has been validated through both synthetic data and two international clinical cohorts of glioblastoma patients, proving to be a robust predictor of survival independent of tumor size. The findings reveal a stark contrast in patient outcomes based on their DIR values. According to co-author María Gómez Mahiques, patients with low DIR values—indicating less aggressive growth patterns—showed an average survival of 35.2 weeks. In contrast, those with high DIR values saw their average survival drop to just 16.0 weeks, highlighting the biomarker’s potential for risk stratification.