Patients are increasingly treating physician selection like a consumer decision, with online ratings, reviews and AI-generated recommendations becoming major influences on where they seek care. A 2026 rater8 survey of 992 U.S. adults found that 75% of patients will not consider a physician rated below 4.0 stars, while 44% require at least 4.5 stars. Negative experiences are driven more by rude or unhelpful staff and feeling that the doctor did not listen than by wait times or billing issues. The bigger shift is AI: among patients who searched for a new doctor, AI tools influenced provider choice for 36%, ahead…
Author: Abhay Panchal
AI in GI oncology is moving beyond image recognition toward tools designed to influence clinical decisions and patient outcomes, according to experts at the ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress 2026. Marie Hanaoka, MD, discussed AI that links measurements during robotic rectal cancer surgery to postoperative outcomes, while Max Seidensticker, MD, highlighted the potential of machine learning to improve MRI-guided interventions for liver tumors. In pathology, Magali Svrcek, MD, PhD, described AI models that can predict molecular alterations from H&E slides and even recognize when they should not make a prediction. Across these applications, experts emphasized that clinical value—not technical performance alone—will…
A meta-analysis of nearly 6,800 gut microbiome sequencing profiles has identified a consistent microbial signature associated with colorectal cancer, including early-stage disease and some precancerous lesions. In an interview with Technology Networks, Georg Zeller, PhD, professor at Leiden University Medical Center, discusses what the findings could mean for microbiome-based CRC screening—and why the technology is promising but not yet ready to replace established tests. The researchers found that their microbiome-based models can identify cancer-associated microbial patterns across data generated using different sequencing technologies and protocols, and that early-onset CRC showed the same characteristic microbial signature as late-onset disease. Zeller notes,…
In the first installment of an Expert Picks series highlighting research from DDW 2026, gastroenterology leaders Rajesh N. Keswani, MD, MS, of Northwestern Medicine, and V. Liana Tsikitis, MD, MBA, MCR, of Oregon Health & Science University, share their perspectives on four abstracts they consider important from the meeting. One study explores whether real-time eye-tracking feedback can improve colorectal adenoma detection by encouraging endoscopists to look toward the peripheral areas of the colonoscopy monitor, where previous research has linked greater peripheral gaze with higher adenoma detection. In a multicenter randomized trial across four Japanese centers, 397 patients were assigned to…
Private equity-backed healthcare platforms are facing increasing scrutiny over the corporate structures used to acquire and manage physician practices. The article examines how regulators are pursuing three different enforcement theories: anti-kickback violations involving MSO compensation and referrals, corporate-practice-of-medicine violations involving excessive MSO control over physician practices, and antitrust enforcement targeting serial acquisitions that can create market power. Recent cases involving Campus Eye, Carbon Health, Center for Vein Restoration and U.S. Anesthesia Partners illustrate how regulators are increasingly looking beyond individual transactions to examine who controls the practice, who controls the economics, and whether repeated acquisitions have consolidated a market.
New research presented at DDW 2026 suggests Barrett’s esophagus may develop much earlier in life than when it is typically diagnosed. Using an epigenetic “molecular clock,” researchers Kit Curtius, PhD, and Samuel Reynolds estimated when Barrett’s tissue first appeared in 174 patients and found that it may develop as early as the 20s or 30s—potentially decades before clinical diagnosis. In a discussion of their findings, the researchers emphasized that this does not mean young adults with GERD should undergo routine screening. Instead, the wide variation in when Barrett’s appears points toward a more personalized approach that considers multiple risk factors…
A new blood-based assay using cell-free and exosomal microRNAs detected colorectal cancer with 91% sensitivity and advanced adenomas with 81% sensitivity in a multicentre testing cohort. The assay, developed using machine learning, achieved an AUC of 95% for distinguishing colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas from controls. Researchers say the findings support advancing the test into large prospective studies to determine its clinical utility and potential role in population-based screening.
Smart toilets and toilet-mounted sensors are moving from novelty to an emerging health-tracking category, using computer vision, optical sensors and AI to automatically monitor stool consistency, color, volume, urinary health and bathroom patterns. The technology could give gastroenterologists something they rarely get from patients: a continuous, objective record of bowel habits rather than a retrospective stool diary. GI experts quoted in the article see potential value for patients with conditions such as IBS and constipation and for tracking responses to treatment. But the bigger question is what clinicians can actually do with all that data. Current systems can detect changes,…
Cleveland Clinic highlights an integrated GI and behavioral health approach for children with chronic GI conditions, including IBD and disorders of gut-brain interaction. Its pediatric programs incorporate psychology into IBD care to address treatment anxiety, adherence and the emotional impact of chronic disease, while behavioral interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback and relaxation techniques are used for functional abdominal pain and constipation. The model reflects a broader shift toward treating the gut-brain connection and the behavioral dimensions of GI disease alongside underlying pathology.
The ASGE has released an updated guideline covering the endoscopic evaluation and management of benign and malignant colonic strictures. For potentially resectable colorectal cancer causing obstruction, the guideline conditionally favors colonic SEMS placement as a bridge to surgery over emergency surgery, citing higher rates of primary anastomosis, fewer permanent stomas and fewer postoperative adverse events. For unresectable CRC, palliative stenting is favored over surgery, while balloon dilation remains the first-line approach for benign strictures. The guideline also outlines a growing role for stricturotomy and lumen-apposing metal stents in selected benign strictures that are refractory to conventional therapy. Importantly, the recommendations…