(Press-News.org) SAN DIEGO, CA. (MAY 6, 2025) — Cancer related studies were among nearly 6,000 abstracts presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025, including research on AI in patient communication, polyp detection, and colonoscopy prep.
Oncologists Prefer AI Responses to GI Cancer Questions Over Physicians’
SAN DIEGO — Artificial intelligence outperformed physicians in answering gastrointestinal cancer questions, with oncologists preferring ChatGPT’s responses nearly 80% of the time, according to a study presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) ® 2025.
Researchers analyzed 15 real patient questions posted to Reddit’s AskDocs forum and had 12 board-certified oncologists evaluate the responses from both ChatGPT and verified physicians for quality, empathy, and readability.
The AI-generated answers were rated significantly higher in quality (80% vs. 35%) and empathy (82% vs. 18%), though they were judged more difficult to read based on the Flesch Reading Ease Score. The findings highlight the potential for large-language models to support patient communication.
Abstract 149: AI or doctors? Comparing responses to cancer patients' inquiries from a public social media forum. Saturday, May 3, 10:06 – 10:12 a.m. PDT
Fewer Patients Get Surgery for Benign Colon Polyps as Endoscopic Techniques Rise
SAN DIEGO, CA — More patients with non-cancerous colorectal polyps are avoiding surgery thanks to the growing use of endoscopic removal techniques, according to a large U.S. study presented at Digestive Disease Week® 2025.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 1 million patients who had polyps detected during colonoscopy between 2015 and 2023, comparing rates of endoscopic versus surgical removal and associated outcomes. They found that the rate of endoscopic resection nearly tripled—rising from 0.26% to 0.67%—while surgical removal declined from 0.45% to 0.35%.
The shift not only reduced the need for invasive surgery but also led to fewer serious complications and a significantly lower 30-day mortality rate.
Abstract 375: Declining rates of surgery for non-malignant colorectal polyps in the United States over the last decade: A real-world analysis of over 1 million patients Sunday, May 4, 9:02 – 9:09 a.m. PDT
The Long-Standing Instruction to Fast Before Colonoscopy May Not Be Needed
SAN DIEGO — A low-fiber meal just two hours before starting colonoscopy prep may be safe after all, according to a new randomized controlled trial present at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025. Researchers found that allowing patients to eat before bowel cleansing did not reduce the effectiveness of preparation or negatively impact their experience.
In the study of 525 patients using a split-dose polyethylene glycol regimen, 81.4% of those who ate achieved optimal bowel cleansing—nearly identical to the 83.6% in the fasting control group. Patient comfort and tolerance were also comparable, suggesting greater flexibility in pre-colonoscopy dietary guidelines could be on the horizon.
Abstract Mo1192: To dine or not to dine: The effect of a day-before low-fiber dinner on bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy (DINNER1006 trial) Monday, May 5, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. PDT
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Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers, and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy, and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW is an in-person and online meeting from May 3-6, 2025. The meeting showcases nearly 6,000 abstracts and more than 1,000 lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine, and technology. More information can be found at www.ddw.org
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Leuven, 05 May 2025 – A group of researchers in the lab of Prof. Lucía Chávez Gutiérrez (VIB-KU Leuven) have unraveled the genetic contributions to familial Alzheimer’s Disease development and revealed how specific mutations act as a clock to predict the disease age of onset. These insights, published in Molecular Neurodegeneration, could aid clinicians to improve early diagnosis and tailor treatment strategies.
Alzheimer's disease remains one of the most challenging and prevalent neurodegenerative ...
New York, NY and Anchorage, AK — On May 12, 2025, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Aging Association (AGE) in Anchorage, Alaska, the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) will host an award ceremony to present the 2025 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research to Daniel W. Belsky, PhD. The event will be held from 1-2pm AKDT in the Tikahtnu Ballroom of the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center. The award will be presented by AFAR Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD.
The Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research is ...
New research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241506 found an increase in asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits across Ontario following heavy smoke in early June 2023.
Canada experienced the most destructive wildfire season to date in 2023, with difficult-to-control fires across the country, including 29 mega-fires. One fire in Quebec, the province’s largest-ever wildfire, extended 1.2 million acres. Smoke from fires blanketed Canada and the United States, causing substantial damage, loss, and displacement.
“The ...
A team of researchers from the University of Waterloo have created a method that makes virtual reality (VR) more accessible to people with mobility limitations.
VR games like Beat Saber and Space Pirate Trainer usually require large and dramatic movements, such as raising one’s arms above the head or quickly side-stepping, which can be difficult or impossible for people who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility. To decrease these barriers, the researchers created MotionBlocks, a tool that lets users customize ...
AAAS CEO, Sudip S. Parikh, testified as a bipartisan witness before the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday, April 30, for a hearing discussing biomedical research in America. Dr. Parikh was joined by three other executives and one patient advocate to express the importance of American support and funding for biomedical research. In Dr. Parikh’s written testimony, he cites the biomedical research ecosystem developed in the United States as the “greatest engine for discovery in the service of health that the world has ever known,” while ...
Vienna, Austria – Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in high-developed countries, most often affecting women after menopause. The majority of women are diagnosed at an early stage, when treatment outcomes are generally favorable.* For women with high-intermediate risk disease, adjuvant radiotherapy — particularly vaginal brachytherapy (a form of internal radiotherapy delivered directly to the vaginal area) — is commonly used after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence. However, patients don’t need it equally, and some may receive more treatment than necessary, exposing ...
Learning from Every Patient: New Radiotherapy Technique Aims to Protect the Heart During Lung Cancer Treatment
Vienna, Austria – A new study presented at ESTRO 2025 introduces the RAPID-RT study, which uses an innovative rapid-learning approach to evaluate the impact of treatment modifications in radiotherapy. Traditional clinical trials are often lengthy and are not representative of real-world patient populations due to complex consent processes and strict eligibility criteria. In contrast, RAPID-RT offers a more inclusive, real-world alternative. Researchers at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK, have applied this method in lung cancer patients to assess ...
Vienna, Austria – Rectal cancer is a type of bowel cancer that develops in the last several centimetres of the large intestine, just before the anus. It’s one of the most common cancers in Europe, with over 125,000 people diagnosed annually*. Treatment traditionally involves surgery to remove the tumour—a major operation that can permanently affect sexual function, continence, and quality of life.
While radiotherapy and chemotherapy are already used to shrink tumours before surgery, there is growing momentum behind treatment strategies that avoid surgery ...
WASHINGTON— The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) has announced its new leadership for 2025–26, with Srihari S. Naidu, MD, MSCAI, assuming the role of President during SCAI Scientific Sessions 2025, held May 1–3 in Washington, DC.
Dr. Naidu is Professor of Medicine at New York Medical College and System Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) National Center of Excellence at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. A leading interventional cardiologist, he is internationally recognized for his work in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and ...
SAN DIEGO, CA. (MAY 3, 2025) Stomach cancers are increasingly being diagnosed at less advanced, more treatable stages — a shift that marks major progress in detecting one of the deadliest forms of cancer, according to a study to be presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025.
“These trends suggest that advancements in endoscopic imaging, along with more widespread use of upper endoscopy, may be helping doctors find stomach cancer earlier,” said Mohamed Tausif Siddiqui, MD, the study’s ...
