The American Cancer Society (ACS) has updated its guidelines for colorectal cancer screening to include new blood-based and at-home stool tests.

The new blood test screens for tumor DNA, while the at-home tests look for DNA, RNA, and blood markers in stool samples.

The updated guidelines still retain ACS recommendations for starting colorectal cancer screening at age 45 and having colonoscopies done every 10 years for people who are at average risk of colorectal cancer.

The organization published its new recommendations on May 27 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.  Continue reading →

Highest death risk for SCLC, pancreatic cancer, but not reflected in average funding per death

Highly lethal cancers received disproportionately less federal funding compared with other cancers that have better survival odds, according to a study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute.

An analysis of nine types of cancer showed that small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and pancreatic cancer had the highest mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) but received less funding per death during fiscal year 2025 than breast cancer and prostate cancer, which had the two lowest MIRs.

Funding per death averaged $2,818 for SCLC and $8,945 for pancreatic cancer as compared with $69,800 and $126,992 for breast and prostate cancer, respectively. Liver cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) had the third and fourth highest MIRs and received $10,447 and $1,754 per death, respectively. Continue reading →

There is ongoing debate about who should undergo a colonoscopy and when.

Colonoscopy is the most widely used screening test for colon cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.

It is considered the gold standard and is more accurate than two other common screening methods—stool tests and sigmoidoscopy—because it allows doctors to see the entire colon and remove any potentially problematic polyps during the same procedure.

However, there is ongoing debate about who should undergo a colonoscopy and when. Not everyone will get colon cancer, and the procedure could lead to overdiagnosis as well as rare but serious side effects. Continue reading →

MaryJo Perry raises animals on her property outside of Jackson, Miss., and uses ivermectin to treat her cattle. To her, the drug is as familiar, safe, cheap and effective as vitamins: “We’ve been using it on the farm for 40 years.”

Perry, who studied animal science and at one time wanted to be a vet, also uses it to treat mange in stray dogs she rescues near her home. It works without side effects, she says: “I’ve never seen issues with it.”

In humans, ivermectin fights parasitic infections from roundworm, lice and scabies; it’s effective against certain tropical diseases, and may have benefits in fighting malaria. Continue reading →

This could be a breakthrough in the way the deadly cancer is treated.

For so long, pancreatic cancer has been a near-death sentence. Not just because of the aggressive nature of the cancer, but because so many times, the cancer isn’t found until it has already progressed far enough to be detected through metastasis (spreading to another location). By then, the cancer has already taken such a significant hold on the organ, and it can be resistant to many different treatment types.

At least, that’s how things used to be before a 2026 breakthrough. Continue reading →

Anti-aging and longevity supplements are booming in popularity, with Americans collectively spending millions a year on the products.

Among the most popular are vitamin B3 derivatives: nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide (NAM).

These forms of vitamin B3 are often taken to increase energy, protect the brain and heart and slow aging. They are touted for their ability to raise levels of NAD+, a molecule that plays a crucial role in metabolism and cell repair. Continue reading →

More than one in three cancers could be prevented with simple lifestyle habits changes, a major study suggests.

A major study has found that one in three cancer cases across the world could be due to preventable factors

In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers, analyzed 19 million cases of 36 different cancer types in nearly 200 countries, including the US and UK.

Using 2022 figures, the latest available, the team found 38 percent, or 7.1 million diagnoses, were attributable to 30 modifiable risk factors.

Despite consistent declines in smoking rates across the world, tobacco smoking was the leading modifiable risk factor for cancer, accounting for one in six cases. It was also the top preventable risk factor in men. Continue reading →

Many forms of cancer are devastating. But pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly and aggressive forms there is. There are several reasons for this, including its stealthy progression, rapid metastasis (the way it spreads), and late detection. In fact, early detection is so rare there’s a five-year survival rate of 13.3%.

Over 80% of patients die due to metastatic progression within two years of diagnosis. But scientists may have discovered a way to slow it all down by studying a receptor that normally helps cancer cells spread, called ALK7. This is explained in a report published in Molecular Cancer.  Interconnected ALK7-driven pathways typically promote pancreatic cancer cells, or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). To really understand what’s going on, you have to look at two concepts related to cancerous tumors, called extravasation and intravasation. Continue reading →

Appendix cancer was once a medical oddity that most people never heard about. Today, reports are stacking up in younger adults, and doctors are trying to make sense of it.

This cancer starts in the small pouch off the large intestine, and it often hides until surgery for suspected appendicitis.

These cancers vary in their biology – from appendiceal adenocarcinoma, which begins in the gland cells lining the appendix, to neuroendocrine tumors that arise from hormone-producing cells in the digestive tract. Yet they share a troubling trend: the number of cases is steadily climbing. Continue reading →