Today’s endoscopy suite is poised for a major transformation, driven by rapid advances in imaging technology, artificial intelligence, and device innovation. Speaking at the 2026 Expert Strategies in Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal, and Liver Disorders symposium, Dr. Christopher C. Thompson explained that while endoscopy has evolved over the past century, the next wave of innovation is expected to accelerate progress significantly. A key area of advancement is imaging technology. Traditional charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors are being replaced by complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chips, which are smaller, consume less power, produce higher-resolution images with less distortion, process data faster, and are…
Author: Abhay Panchal
The ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress 2026 featured several important studies that could influence the future of gastrointestinal cancer treatment, although not all findings were practice-changing. Researchers presented updates spanning colorectal, pancreatic, and liver cancers, highlighting both promising targeted therapies and trials that challenged expectations. One of the biggest updates came from the phase 3 KRYSTAL-10 trial, where the chemotherapy-free combination of adagrasib plus cetuximab failed to outperform standard chemotherapy in patients with previously treated KRAS G12C-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. Although the targeted combination produced a much higher response rate (47% vs. 16%), it did not improve progression-free or overall survival.…
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has announced a strategic partnership with Forus, an AI-powered medication access platform, to help reduce delays and barriers that prevent patients with digestive diseases from receiving prescribed therapies. The collaboration aims to improve access to medications by addressing challenges such as prior authorizations, insurance appeals, financial assistance, and pharmacy routing, which frequently delay treatment even when clinical evidence supports the prescribed therapy. Forus integrates directly into electronic health record (EHR) workflows and automates the medication access process across multiple payers, pharmacies, and drug manufacturers at no cost to providers or patients. By combining Forus’ real-world…
Freenome reported positive results from a pivotal clinical validation study of its next-generation SimpleScreen™ CRC blood test, which met all primary and secondary endpoints while significantly improving detection of advanced precancerous lesions (APLs). The updated test achieved 80.4% sensitivity for colorectal cancer, 18.2% sensitivity for advanced precancerous lesions, and 41.9% sensitivity for high-grade dysplasia (HGD)—a substantial improvement over the first-generation test. The company noted that the sensitivity for detecting APLs and HGD is the highest reported to date for any noninvasive blood-based colorectal cancer screening test evaluated in a prospective registrational study.
An updated POWER (Practice Guide on Obesity and Weight Management, Education, and Resources) framework calls on gastroenterologists and hepatologists to take a more active role in obesity management, reflecting major advances since the original 2017 recommendations. The guidance recognizes obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease and recommends an individualized, long-term treatment strategy that integrates lifestyle interventions, GLP-1–based medications, endoscopic bariatric therapies, bariatric surgery, and multidisciplinary care. It also encourages moving beyond body mass index (BMI) alone by incorporating measures such as waist circumference and body fat assessment to better evaluate obesity-related risk. The update highlights why GI specialists are uniquely…
Iterative Health has partnered with Gastroenterology Associates of New Jersey (GANJ) to expand community-based clinical research across the state. As GANJ’s exclusive research partner, Iterative Health will launch two new research sites in Toms River and Clifton, with plans to add more across GANJ’s 28-location network. The collaboration aims to make clinical trials more accessible by embedding research into routine gastroenterology care, giving patients access to investigational therapies closer to home. The partnership combines GANJ’s network of 60+ healthcare professionals with Iterative Health’s clinical trial infrastructure, sponsor relationships, and AI-powered research platform. A major focus will be inflammatory bowel disease…
A new meta-analysis of 14 studies found that deep learning (AI) systems can detect early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) more accurately than junior endoscopists and perform on par with experienced specialists. Across the studies, AI achieved 94% sensitivity and 88% specificity, significantly outperforming less experienced physicians while matching senior endoscopists in overall diagnostic accuracy. The analysis also showed that AI serves as an effective clinical support tool. When junior endoscopists used AI assistance, their diagnostic performance improved substantially, while senior endoscopists also experienced modest gains in sensitivity and accuracy. These findings suggest AI could help standardize detection of subtle…
CMS has steadily expanded colorectal cancer screening coverage over the past three years by lowering the screening age to 45, adding coverage for blood-based biomarker tests and CT colonography, and eliminating patient cost-sharing for follow-up colonoscopies after positive noninvasive screening tests. These changes are expected to increase screening participation and drive more patients into ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) for colonoscopy. However, the increase in procedure volume is being offset by lower reimbursement. Under the 2026 Medicare payment changes, gastroenterologists performing endoscopy in ASCs and hospital outpatient departments face an average 8% reduction in physician payments, driven by adjustments to work…
A randomized, sham-controlled study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that a single fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) session did not significantly eliminate multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) or reduce antimicrobial resistance genes in patients with gastrointestinal diseases such as pancreatitis and cirrhosis. Four weeks after treatment, MDRO decolonization rates were nearly identical between the FMT and sham groups (31% vs. 30.4%), suggesting that one FMT procedure alone is insufficient to eradicate persistent drug-resistant bacteria. Despite failing to meet its primary endpoints, FMT produced meaningful changes in the gut microbiome. Gene-sequencing analyses showed increased microbial diversity and enrichment of beneficial short-chain fatty acid–producing…
Rather than challenging the value of colonoscopy, Dr. Paul Limburg argues that the U.S. can no longer rely on it as the primary colorectal cancer screening strategy. With nearly 60 million Americans eligible for screening but capacity for only about 15 million colonoscopies annually, the healthcare system faces a widening gap that could delay cancer detection and treatment. Drawing on new modeling studies and the 2026 American Cancer Society screening guideline, the article makes the case for a complementary approach: use next-generation multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) tests for initial screening in average-risk patients, while reserving colonoscopy for diagnostic follow-up and…