Earlier this month, startling cancer research findings hit the news. A study press release headline touted a “global surge” in new cancer cases among younger people over the past three decades. Many major news outlets parroted the “striking” finding. “Cancer cases in under-50s worldwide up nearly 80% in three decades, study finds,” The Guardian reported. The analysis, published in BMJ Oncology, plumbed data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study to determine changes in cancer incidence and deaths among people aged 15-49 years across 204 countries. The team found that between 1990 and 2019, global cancer cases in this…
Author: Abhay Panchal
President Biden’s administration has been keenly focused on competition issues concerning health care mergers and acquisitions. This focus culminated in the release of new draft merger guidelines during the summer, which carry significant implications for the health care sector, especially physician practice transactions. Some key points include: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have introduced a draft of new guidelines detailing their approach to reviewing mergers and acquisitions. This move indicates that antitrust authorities are intensifying their scrutiny of many transactions. In July 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American…
A recent study has revealed that individuals diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at an increased risk of developing gout later in life. The research, which analyzed the prevalence of gout among over 200,000 US adults diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), found that patients with CD had a 68% higher likelihood of developing gout. In contrast, those with UC had a 38% increased likelihood compared to individuals without IBD. The study utilized data from the Explorys Inc database, which covered patient information from 1999 to 2022. The findings suggest that IBD-related intestinal resection is a…
Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) administrators are expressing concerns over several key figures that could impact the future of ASCs:
The American College of Physicians has decided to stay with 50 years as the recommended age for initiating colorectal cancer screening in asymptomatic average-risk adults, according to new clinical guidance. The guidance, published July 31 (Ann Intern Med August 2023. 176[8]:1092-1100), conflicts with guidelines from at least four specialty societies that have set the lower screening threshold at age 45—including the American Cancer Society (CA Cancer J Clin 2018;68:250-281), the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) (JAMA 2021;325[19]:1965-1977) and the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer (USMSTF) (Gastroenterology 2021:162:285-299)—but is generally aligned with international guidelines (BMJ 2019;367:l5515; N Engl…
A team of researchers at Case Western Reserve University has discovered an inherited mutation in a gene associated with a highly lethal form of cancer in the esophagus, known as esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). This breakthrough was achieved by studying genes in families predisposed to certain diseases. The identified gene, Caveolin-3 (CAV3), plays a pivotal role in the development of EAC. Caveolins are cellular structural components that regulate various proteins essential for cell functionality. The study revealed that CAV3 is typically present in specialized cells in the esophagus, and when the esophagus is injured, these cells containing CAV3 move to heal…
Oracle has announced the integration of an AI-powered Clinical Digital Assistant into its EHR (electronic health record) solutions. This move aims to assist caregivers in automating administrative tasks and enhancing patient care quality. The Clinical Digital Assistant, developed using generative AI, can be operated through both text and voice commands. This allows clinicians to access necessary information without having to interact with a screen. For instance, during an appointment, they can request MRI scans or prescriptions by merely speaking to the assistant. The assistant retrieves the required data and even takes notes during the appointment, suggesting potential next steps like…
Scientists at Google DeepMind have developed an artificial intelligence program, AlphaMissense, capable of predicting whether genetic mutations are likely to be harmful or benign. This tool aims to expedite research and the diagnosis of rare disorders. AlphaMissense focuses on missense mutations, which involve a single letter change in the DNA code. While many of these mutations are harmless, some can lead to diseases like cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anemia, and cancer. The program assessed all 71 million potential single-letter mutations in human proteins and predicted that 57% were probably harmless, 32% were likely harmful, and was uncertain about the rest. The…
Hackensack Meridian Health is intensifying its collaboration with Google to create artificial intelligence tools aimed at clinical decision-making and minimizing administrative tasks. The health system’s CIO, Kash Patel, shared that this partnership expansion with Google has been in progress for several years. Hackensack Meridian was an early adopter of Google’s Workspace and Chromebooks, with clinicians using Chromebooks to access Epic across approximately 70% of the entire system. The health system is now utilizing Google’s Ekam, a Cloud-based data platform, and the Vertex AI platform. One of the developments includes an AI-driven model that assigns patients a score to assist clinicians…
TOPLINE:For patients with Barrett esophagus, anti-reflux surgery may not reduce but rather increase the risk of esophageal cancer compared with anti-reflux medication, a new study suggests. METHODOLOGY:Researchers conducted a population-based study of all 33,939 adult patients with known Barrett esophagus in any of the national patient registries in Denmark (2012–2020), Finland (1987–1996 and 2010–2020), Norway (2008–2020), and Sweden (2006–2020). Patients who underwent anti-reflux surgery (fundoplication) were compared with patients who were taking anti-reflux medication and who had not undergone surgery during the 32-year follow-up period. The risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma was calculated using multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusted for age,…