The U.S. FDA has approved Optune Pax, a first-of-its-kind wearable device from Novocure, for use in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The system delivers tumor treating fields (TTFields) — low-intensity alternating electric fields that disrupt cancer cell division — through adhesive arrays worn on the abdomen and connected to a portable generator. Key Data: PANOVA-3 Trial There was no difference in progression-free survival, but the overall survival and pain control signals supported approval. Safety & Practical Considerations TTFields are already approved in glioblastoma, mesothelioma, and metastatic NSCLC. This marks the first new FDA…
Author: Abhay Panchal
ACG Secures Major Policy Wins on CRC Surveillance, Telehealth & PBM Reform The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) announced key advocacy victories in the newly signed $1.2 trillion federal funding package — with meaningful implications for colorectal cancer screening, telehealth access, and drug pricing reform. 🔎 Surveillance Colonoscopy Recognized in Federal Report Language For the first time, Congressional appropriations language explicitly acknowledges the full colorectal cancer (CRC) screening continuum — including surveillance colonoscopy for patients with a history of polyps. The report urges CMS to reference U.S. Multi-Society Task Force recommendations and highlights rising early-onset CRC rates. While not statutory…
In a new policy paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians (ACP) argues that the term “provider” is not merely imprecise — it is ethically consequential. Authored by Lois Snyder Sulmasy, JD, and Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH, on behalf of the ACP Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee, the paper contends that labeling physicians as “providers” contributes to the deprofessionalization of medicine in an era of commercialization and corporatization. Key arguments: ACP formally recommends: The broader signal:As healthcare becomes increasingly corporatized and technology-driven, language may be one of the last frontiers preserving professional identity…
Geneoscopy announced that the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) invalidated all challenged claims of Exact Sciences’ ’746 patent — the second ruling in its favor after a prior decision invalidated claims in Exact’s ’781 patent. With both patents now invalidated at the PTAB level, Geneoscopy has effectively removed the patent claims asserted against its RNA-based colorectal cancer screening test, ColoSense®, in ongoing litigation. The ruling strengthens Geneoscopy’s position as it commercializes ColoSense, an FDA-approved stool-based RNA test for average-risk adults aged 45+. Strategic implications: The broader takeaway: the battle in stool-based colorectal cancer screening is shifting from patent…
Artificial intelligence is no longer a side conversation in gastroenterology. It is moving to the center of operations — and future competitive advantage. In this episode of The Scope Forward Show, I sit down with Dr. Michael Dragutsky (Chairman, One GI), Christa Newton (CEO, One GI), Aniket Behera (COO and Co-founder, 100ms), and Satish Malnaik (CEO, NextServices). We go inside One GI’s AI strategy — not to debate AI — but to examine what happens when a PE-funded scaled GI platform treats AI as a leadership decision. This is not about implementing AI in the endoscopy room. It’s not about bounding boxes in CADe or CADx. AI is about the business model of…
In a move that may preview the next phase of surgical care delivery, Oath Surgical has partnered with NVIDIA to build AI-native ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) powered by real-time, multimodal intelligence. Oath is developing OathOS, a software-defined operating layer that integrates with existing OR infrastructure — including video, imaging, robotics, and device systems — transforming outpatient surgical centers into continuously sensing, AI-enabled environments. Rather than rebuilding facilities, Oath focuses on upgrading the installed base of ASCs, allowing centers to: NVIDIA’s role extends beyond dashboards and analytics. The collaboration centers on what NVIDIA calls “physical AI” — embedding AI directly into…
UMass’ Division of Gastroenterology has completed its first Full-Thickness Resection Device (FTRD) procedure, marking an expansion in advanced endoscopic capabilities. During a routine screening colonoscopy, the team identified a neuroendocrine tumor and removed it using the FTRD system — an endoscopic platform that enables full-thickness resection of deep gastrointestinal lesions with simultaneous clip closure in a single, minimally invasive step.
Here are five gastroenterology and GI surgery physician additions recently reported by Becker’s:
As artificial intelligence tools become embedded in clinical workflows — from imaging analysis to predictive risk models — legal accountability remains largely unchanged: physicians remain the focal point of malpractice liability. Despite more than 1,300 FDA-authorized AI-enabled devices and sharply rising physician adoption, U.S. courts have yet to issue a malpractice verdict centered on AI itself. Legal experts note that traditional standards of care still apply. If harm occurs, the central question remains whether the clinician acted as a “reasonably prudent provider” — not whether the algorithm failed. This creates a tension for physicians: In gastroenterology, AI-assisted polyp detection offers…
A new editorial in the ACG Case Reports Journal argues that nutrition and lifestyle medicine must move from peripheral topics to core competencies in gastroenterology fellowship training. Despite counseling patients daily on GERD, IBD, MASLD, and functional bowel disorders, many GI physicians report limited formal training in nutrition. Surveys show fellows often feel underprepared to provide dietary guidance—even as evidence continues to mount that nutrition and lifestyle interventions can induce remission in IBD, improve reflux symptoms, and reduce long-term healthcare costs. The authors highlight international training models from the UK, Europe, and Australia, where structured nutrition curricula, competency tracking, and…