History of Brain Tumor Classification and the Discovery of IDH Mutation

UCSF neuro-oncologist Jennie Taylor, MD, MPH describes how in 2009, scientists first discovered that mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) were common in gliomas. Further studies then showed that these mutations helped distinguish slow-growing low-grade gliomas from more aggressive tumors like glioblastoma. These findings lead to the World Health Organization (WHO) redefining how gliomas are diagnosed to incorporate IDH mutation status.