A large French cohort study found that delays of up to 24 months after a positive fecal immunochemical test (FIT) were not associated with higher risks of colorectal cancer, advanced CRC, or advanced adenomas compared with colonoscopy at 2–3 months. Risk was instead driven by fecal hemoglobin level, with very high values conferring sharply elevated CRC risk. The authors argue screening programs should prioritize ensuring colonoscopy completion over strict timing targets.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), delivered via telehealth, significantly reduced disability in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, addressing the often-overlooked psychological burden of inflammatory bowel disease. Importantly, psychologists without prior GI experience were able to deliver the therapy effectively using a structured manual, suggesting CBT could be scaled more broadly to improve quality of life and reduce healthcare utilization in IBD care.
Physicians prescribing GLP-1 therapies are being urged to “start low and go slow” to minimize gastrointestinal side effects as these drugs spread across specialties, according to experts speaking with Healio. Obesity specialist Fatima Stanford, MD, emphasized that many patients achieve significant weight loss at the lowest doses, while nausea and constipation remain the most common adverse effects, often tied to rapid titration. As GLP-1 use expands beyond endocrinology into cardiology, gastroenterology and beyond, careful dosing and patient-specific management are becoming essential.
Despite limited high-quality evidence, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy moved forward with new guidance on preventing ergonomic-related injuries, citing the growing toll these injuries take on endoscopists. The guideline’s authors say rising procedure volumes, longer careers, and a more diverse workforce make ergonomics impossible to ignore. Lead author Swati Pawa, MD, emphasized that the goal is practical awareness — helping clinicians recognize how common these injuries are, understand key risk factors, and normalize prevention strategies. Reducing stigma around ergonomics, she noted, is essential to keeping endoscopists healthy and practicing longer.
A large meta-analysis from NYU Langone Health shows that visual estimation of colorectal polyp size is frequently wrong, differing from standardized measurements by an average of nearly 1.7 mm and achieving only 60% accuracy overall. Errors worsened with larger polyps — which were often underestimated — raising the risk of inappropriate surveillance intervals and missed cancers. Notably, AI-based measurement tools dramatically outperformed human estimation, improving accuracy more than sevenfold, pointing to a clear opportunity to standardize polyp sizing and reduce downstream screening errors.
A large U.S. real-world study of more than 326,000 average-risk adults found that repeat multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) screening for colorectal cancer achieves consistently high adherence, exceeding 80% across all racial and ethnic groups. Overall repeat-testing adherence reached 86%, rising to more than 90% among patients with prior mt-sDNA experience. Follow-up colonoscopy after a positive test occurred in 76% of cases — a critical step for effective screening. Older adults, rural residents, patients receiving digital outreach, and those whose tests were ordered by OB/GYNs were more likely to complete repeat screening. The findings reinforce mt-sDNA as a scalable, home-based screening…
Smart toilets may sound like novelty tech, but companies are betting they can turn urine and stool into valuable, non-invasive health signals. A growing number of digital health firms are developing sensor-enabled toilets or attachments that analyze what lands in the bowl, aiming to detect early signs of gastrointestinal, kidney, and metabolic disease. Products range from optical stool analysis to urine-based biomarker tracking, with potential applications in early cancer detection, chronic disease monitoring, and senior care. Gastroenterologist Anish Sheth of Penn Medicine Princeton Health has noted that continuous monitoring could allow earlier intervention before symptoms worsen. While the technology holds…
Key Takeaways
More than 100 million Americans will be treated this year by physicians using AI. According to The Information, OpenEvidence — often described as “ChatGPT for doctors” — is on track to become one of only eight applied-AI companies to surpass $10B in valuation and $100M in revenue. Adoption at clinical scale Economics that stand out How Physicians Actually Use Clinical AI A new NPJ Digital Medicine study examined how physicians interact with AI chatbots during real clinical reasoning tasks (Siden et al.). Study design Four dominant usage patterns emerged Key finding No interaction style consistently improved clinical reasoning performance. Providing…
A Colorado-based gastroenterology group has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit tied to a 2024 cyberattack that exposed sensitive patient data for more than 366,000 individuals. The settlement includes reimbursement of up to $1,000 for documented identity-related losses and two years of credit and medical monitoring, underscoring the growing financial and reputational risks GI practices face as cyber incidents increasingly move from IT failures to legal liabilities.