This first-ever ACG guideline addresses gastric premalignant conditions—including atrophic gastritis, gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM), dysplasia, and certain epithelial polyps—due to their potential progression to gastric adenocarcinoma (GC). Although the U.S. is a low-incidence country for GC, certain non-White and immigrant populations experience significantly higher rates, making GC an underrecognized health disparity.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Guardant Health’s Shield™ blood test for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is now covered with no copay for U.S. veterans and eligible family members aged 45–84 under the VA Community Care Network. This marks the first coverage of the test for individuals younger than 65 and outside the Medicare population. Shield, FDA-approved in July 2024, is the first blood-based CRC screening test for average-risk individuals and can be prescribed by any provider. This expansion significantly increases access to early cancer detection for over 9 million VA beneficiaries.
PathAI announced that its AIM-MASH AI Assist tool is now the first and only AI-assisted pathology assessment technology qualified by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) CHMP for use in MASH (Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) clinical trials. The tool aids a single central pathologist in evaluating liver biopsies for both trial enrollment and endpoint assessment—potentially replacing multi-pathologist consensus reads. Clinical validation showed it outperformed human assessment for key features like inflammation and ballooning. This qualification marks a major step forward in AI-driven pathology and could accelerate drug development in MASH by ensuring more consistent, scalable biopsy analysis.
In a groundbreaking move, the FDA has cleared Nanosonics’ CORIS system—the first automated device designed to clean the hard-to-reach internal channels of flexible endoscopes, a known source of hospital-acquired infections. The system targets resilient biofilm that standard manual cleaning often misses.
In this special crossover episode with Physicianary, previous Gut Talk guest, Austin Chiang, MD, and Physicianary host, Hansa Bhargava, MD, discuss the influence of social media in medicine and how AI continues to change the health care landscape.
This study evaluated the real-world use of a mobile app developed to support colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and post-polypectomy surveillance based on updated guidelines. Used over 12,000 times by healthcare professionals in Catalonia, the app helped optimize decision-making—particularly by reducing unnecessary colonoscopies. It recommended fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) for average-risk screening and deferred follow-up in 50% of surveillance cases. With a 72% retention rate, the app showed strong adoption and potential to enhance guideline adherence and resource use in CRC care.
A decade-long study from Weill Cornell Medicine shows that endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) delivers sustained long-term weight loss without the need for weight-loss medications. Among 110 patients who only had ESG, the average total body weight loss (TBWL) at 10 years was 10.5%, with over half maintaining at least 5% TBWL. ESG was well tolerated, with only mild and transient side effects. The findings reinforce ESG’s effectiveness and safety as a durable, minimally invasive obesity treatment option.
In this discussion, Dr. Peter Buch and Dr. Aasma Shaukat explore the evolving landscape of colon cancer screening. While stool-based tests like FIT and multitarget DNA remain standard, screening rates are still low. With the rise of noninvasive blood-based options, accessibility is improving. Dr. Shaukat shares insights on the effectiveness of current and emerging methods, and strategies for boosting screening uptake.
What if the future of GI isn’t just about scopes and procedures—but about rewiring the gut-brain connection itself? Dr. Brennan Spiegel, a physician, researcher, and author at the forefront of digital therapeutics, is challenging everything we know about gastroenterology. From virtual reality (VR) reshaping IBS treatment to AI rewriting the role of physicians, he sees the gut not just as an organ—but as an entire unexplored universe. In this conversation, he unpacks what the gut-brain axis is, why GIs are falling behind in microbiome research, and how gravity itself could be influencing gut health in ways we’ve never considered. He also dives into AI—how it’s extending human capabilities while simultaneously shrinking cognitive…
On its 15th anniversary, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has largely fulfilled its original goals of expanding coverage and controlling costs, achieving record-high health insurance rates and moderating healthcare spending. While not all policies worked as intended, the law exceeded expectations in some areas—such as the effectiveness of premium tax credits and the realization that near-universal coverage is possible without the individual mandate. Key lessons include prioritizing improvements to existing programs, extending enhanced subsidies, and simplifying policy design.