A post hoc analysis of the prospective REVEAL study suggests that preoperative gut microbiome composition may contain prognostic information for patients with early-stage colorectal cancer. The study included 204 patients with stage I–III CRC, with an overall recurrence rate of 21%, and analyzed fecal samples using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Patients who subsequently developed locoregional recurrence had different microbial profiles from those who did not. In particular, higher preoperative abundance of Porphyromonas was associated with a greater risk of recurrence, with a reported hazard ratio of 2.80. Several other bacterial genera were associated with locoregional or distant recurrence, although Porphyromonas…
Author: Abhay Panchal
A U.S. survey of 351 gastroenterologists, GI fellows and surgeons, presented at DDW 2026, found that while most respondents support performing a second inspection of the right colon during colonoscopy, the practice is not consistently incorporated into institutional policy or quality measurement. Prior evidence suggests a second right-colon inspection can increase adenoma detection by about 7%, and AGA and ACG/ASGE recommendations already support a second view using either retroflexion or forward viewing. However, the societies do not currently specify how the practice should be incorporated into quality metrics. In the survey, 81% of respondents believed second inspection increases ADR and…
A new CDOTrends analysis examines the gap between the growing number of AI-enabled medical devices and the much smaller body of evidence demonstrating that these tools improve patient outcomes. The article cites FDA data showing 1,524 authorized AI-enabled medical devices as of March 2026, with 76% in radiology. It also references a PLOS Digital Health analysis finding that only 34 of 1,357 FDA-cleared AI devices reviewed had links to registered clinical trials, and only three had been evaluated using patient-centered outcomes. The article uses gastroenterology as a particularly relevant example. Mark Lambrecht of SAS describes a gastroenterologist who keeps AI…
A new international consensus statement proposes updated diagnostic criteria for acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC), replacing reliance on the 1955 Truelove and Witts criteria with a framework that better reflects modern treatment, particularly patients already receiving outpatient corticosteroids or advanced therapies. The consensus was developed by a Delphi panel of gastroenterologists from Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region and was published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. For patients already receiving outpatient treatment, the proposed definition requires two of three major criteria plus at least two minor criteria. Major criteria include CRP ≥2× the upper limit of normal, ≥6 bowel…
A new analysis from healthcare education company Covista projects that the U.S. clinician shortage could nearly double by 2040, adding pressure to an already strained healthcare workforce. Healthcare Dive reports that more than 108 million people currently live in primary care shortage areas, with burnout and an aging workforce contributing to the problem. Pasted text The analysis estimates that several interventions could reduce the projected gap. Expanding medical education capacity could address roughly a quarter of the shortage, while improving retention and reducing burnout could mitigate about 25%. Covista also estimates that AI tools that automate administrative work could address…
In a Medscape interview, Colleen Kelly, MD, a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School faculty member, discusses the evolving role of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), research beyond C. difficile, obesity in IBD, and the importance of preserving physician-patient connection. Kelly notes that FDA-approved FMT products have largely replaced conventional FMT for preventing recurrent C. difficile infection, but acute severe or fulminant CDI remains a therapeutic gap, particularly for critically ill patients who may require multiple doses. Researchers are exploring open-label and registry data because placebo-controlled trials in this population raise ethical challenges. She also discusses an…
The U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer has published a new review and consensus statement on serrated polyposis syndrome (SPS), emphasizing that the condition is frequently underrecognized despite being associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. The task force recommends using the 2019 WHO criteria for diagnosis and systematically documenting the number, size and location of serrated polyps when multiple lesions are identified. Pasted text For patients with SPS, the recommendations favor endoscopic management over surgery when there is no concurrent CRC. Colonoscopy should be performed by endoscopists with a documented sessile serrated lesion detection rate of at least 6%,…
Tiny Health has raised $33 million in an oversubscribed Series B, led by B Capital, bringing its total funding to $46 million. The company plans to use the funding to expand clinical research, practitioner education and its Powered by Tiny platform for healthcare and consumer-health partners. The company offers gut microbiome testing for infants, children and adults, as well as vaginal microbiome testing, using shotgun metagenomic sequencing to characterize microorganisms in patient samples. It is also developing TinyAI, which is designed to provide guidance based on individual microbiome test results and the company’s underlying dataset. Alongside the funding, Tiny Health…
Abbott has launched SimpleScreen CRC, an FDA-approved blood-based colorectal cancer screening test developed and manufactured by Freenome. The test is intended for average-risk adults age 45 and older, particularly those who decline or do not complete preferred stool-based or visual screening options. In the PREEMPT CRC study of more than 48,000 asymptomatic adults, SimpleScreen CRC demonstrated 81.1% sensitivity for colorectal cancer, including 63.5% for Stage I disease, 13.7% sensitivity for advanced precancerous lesions, and 90.4% specificity for advanced colorectal neoplasia. The test uses circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from a blood sample. Abbott says SimpleScreen CRC is covered by Medicare, with…
Jiro Health has announced a content agreement with the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) to bring ACG guidelines and journal content into its clinician platform. Jiro says its platform will use real-world practice context—including the patients a gastroenterologist treats, procedures performed and clinical questions asked—to surface the ACG evidence most relevant to each clinician. Through Jiro’s Consult feature, ACG guidance can appear within cited responses alongside the relevant guideline recommendation and practice-specific context. For example, when a gastroenterologist asks about surveillance after removal of a small adenoma, the platform can surface the applicable ACG recommendation and compare surveillance intervals seen…