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01 / 05
A Blood Test for Colon Cancer Performed Well in a New Study

Associated Press | Noncommunicable Disease

A Blood Test for Colon Cancer Performed Well in a New Study

“A blood test for colon cancer performed well in a study published Wednesday, offering a new kind of screening for a leading cause of cancer deaths.

The test looks for DNA fragments shed by tumor cells and precancerous growths. It’s already for sale in the U.S. for $895, but has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and most insurers do not cover it. The maker of the test, Guardant Health, anticipates an FDA decision this year.

In the study, the test caught 83% of the cancers but very few of the precancerous growths found by colonoscopy, the gold standard for colon cancer screening.”

From Associated press.

STAT | Noncommunicable Disease

New Mosquito Nets Prevented 13 Million Malaria Cases in Pilot Programs

“Results shared this week by the New Nets Project, an initiative funded by Unitaid and the Global Fund, highlighted a pair of second-generation bed nets tested in endemic areas between 2019 and 2022. About 56 million nets were distributed in Burkina Faso, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire, among other countries, and several pilot studies found that the new nets were between 20% and 50% more effective than traditional ones in reducing mosquito exposure and reduced the risk of infection by up to 55%. Overall, the New Net Project estimated the nets helped prevent up to 13 million additional cases of malaria, saving close to 25,000 lives.”

From STAT.

New York Times | Health & Medical Care

AI Could Spot Breast Cancer Earlier

“Clinics around the country are starting to offer patients a new service: having their mammograms read not just by a radiologist, but also by an artificial intelligence model. The hospitals and companies that provide these tools tout their ability to speed the work of radiologists and detect cancer earlier than standard mammograms alone.”

From New York Times.

Wall Street Journal | Noncommunicable Disease

The New, More-Hopeful Face of Alzheimer’s Disease

“For as long as I’ve been practicing medicine, Alzheimer’s disease has been, essentially, a death sentence. You give the diagnosis, and you prepare the patient and the family for the worst.

Until now…

Thanks to new developments in the early detection and management of Alzheimer’s, as well as new medications, many patients can slow the course of the disease and boost their well-being. The result is that more Alzheimer’s patients are able to live relatively normal lives for much longer than previously—several years, at least, and often longer.”

From Wall Street Journal.

MIT Technology Review | Noncommunicable Disease

Newest Experimental Epilepsy Treatment: Brain-Cell Transplants

“Stem cells could badly use a win. There are plenty of shady health clinics that say stem cells will cure anything, and many people who believe it. In reality, though, turning these cells into cures has been a slow-moving research project that, so far, hasn’t resulted in any approved medicines.

But that could change, given the remarkable early results of Neurona’s tests on the first five volunteers. Of those, four, including Graves, are reporting that their seizures have decreased by 80% and more. There are also improvements in cognitive tests.”

From MIT Technology Review.