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By Nancy Lapid, Health Science Editor

Hello Health Rounds readers! Today we offer a glimpse into a pair of studies to be presented later this month at the Digestive Disease Week meeting, including a promising low tech technique for possible early detection of gastric cancer and new data on colorectal cancers in kids. We also feature encouraging results from testing a lower power, AI-enhanced whole-body MRI machine that could be used in global areas with limited resources. 

In breaking news, see these stories from our Reuters journalists: Google DeepMind unveils next generation of drug discovery AI model; Whooping cough epidemic sweeps Europe; Kenyan government doctors sign agreement to end strike; UK refuses to sign global vaccine treaty; and NYC sued for denying gay employees in vitro fertilization coverage.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show colorectal cancer rates have risen in all under-40 age groups, including children and teens. REUTERS/Tami Chappell 

Analysis of bacteria in a simple oral rinse could allow early detection of gastric cancer or even signal warnings before the disease develops, according to findings from a new study.

Researchers analyzed bacteria samples from the mouths of 98 patients scheduled for endoscopy, including 30 known to have gastric cancer, 30 with pre-malignant gastric conditions and 38 healthy volunteers.

They saw distinct differences between the bacteria assortment, or microbiome, in oral rinse samples from the healthy group versus the cancerous and pre-cancerous patients, according to the study details released on Thursday and scheduled for presentation May 20 at the Digestive Disease Week meeting in Washington, D.C.

There was very little difference, however, between the bacteria from pre-malignant patients and from those with cancer, suggesting that alterations in the microbiome may begin as soon as the stomach starts to undergo changes that can eventually turn into cancer.

Based on their findings, the authors developed a model of the 13 bacterial groups representing the most significant differences between controls and the cancer and pre-cancerous patients. They plan to conduct larger studies.

“No formal screening guidelines for gastric cancer are available in the United States, and more than half of patients with gastric cancer receive a diagnosis when the cancer is already at an advanced stage,” study leader Dr. Shruthi Reddy Perati of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey said in a statement.

“The ideal time to try to prevent cancer is when it’s just about to turn into cancer,” Perati added. “As a screening and prevention tool, this has enormous potential.”

The worldwide trend of rising colorectal cancer diagnoses at younger ages extends even to adolescents, new U.S. data shows.

Between 1999 and 2020, the rate of colorectal cancers grew 500% among children ages 10 to 14, 333% among teens aged 15 to 19, and 185% among young adults ages 20 to 24, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder Database released on Thursday.

The new findings do not call for routine screening in children and teens, the researchers said, because the absolute numbers of cases were low.

In 2020, only 0.6 children ages 10 to 14 per 100,000 population were diagnosed compared to 0.1/100,000 in 1999. Diagnoses in teens age 15 to 19 went from 0.3 to 1.3/100,000; and in young adults ages 20 to 24, cases rose from 0.7 to 2.0 per 100,000.

Incidence of the disease is known to have been rising in adults under age 45. In 2021, a U.S. task force advised that routine screening for colorectal cancer in average-risk adults should begin at age 45, earlier than previous guidelines that called for screening to start at age 50.

The new data, scheduled for presentation on May 20 at the Digestive Disease Week conference, also showed increasing rates of colorectal cancer diagnoses among individuals between the ages of 25 and 45.

“Colorectal cancer is no longer considered just a disease of the elderly population,” study leader Dr. Islam Mohamed of the University of Missouri-Kansas City said in a statement. “It’s important that the public is aware of signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer.”

The most common symptoms identified in patients with early onset colorectal cancer were changes in bowel habits in terms of either constipation or diarrhea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding and signs of iron deficiency anemia, Mohamed said.

Aided by artificial intelligence (AI), a low-power, simplified magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine for whole-body imaging can produce clear and detailed scans on par with those obtained by traditional high-power MRI devices, researchers have found.

A major benefit is that the testing can be done without the need for expensive radiofrequency (RF)-shielded rooms and substantial power consumption, researchers reported on Thursday in Science.

The new deep learning-powered ultra-low-field (ULF) MRI scanners have the potential to address unmet clinical needs in diverse healthcare settings worldwide, such as lower income regions with limited resources.

The low-power ULF MRI scanner operates on a standard wall power outlet, without the need for RF or magnetic shielding. It uses a compact 0.05 Tesla (T) magnet, whereas most MRI devices use a 1.5 T magnet, and some can go as high as 7 T.

Furthermore, the device uses only 1800 watts during scanning, while conventional MRIs use 25,000 watts or more.

In the past, images from such a low-power device would be blurry, with poor resolution of very small lesions. By incorporating active sensing and AI deep learning to address electromagnetic interference signals, the developers were able to improve the image quality.

In healthy volunteers, the machine produced clear, detailed imaging about as good as those obtained by currently available high-power MRI devices, with less noise and more comfort for the volunteers, the researchers said.

A related Perspective article notes there are limitations and challenges to address before low-field MRI can be widely applied for clinical use in low-resource regions.

“Its utility depends on further advances, for example, in artificial intelligence–based image enhancement using large, inclusive datasets,” the Perspective authors wrote.

This newsletter was edited by Bill Berkrot; additional reporting by Shawana Alleyne-Morris.

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