Here are the top medical news for the day:
Can Your Diet Help Prevent Lung Cancer? Scientists Explore the Link
For cancers of organs like the liver, the long-term impact of our diet has been well studied — so much so that we have guidance about red meat, wine and other delicacies.
A new study from researchers at University of Florida Health looks at another kind of organ whose cancer risk may be affected by poor diet: the lungs.
Lung cancer has not traditionally been thought of as a dietary-related disease,” said Ramon Sun, Ph.D., an associate professor and director of the UF Center for Advanced Spatial Biomolecule Research. “Diseases like pancreatic cancer or liver cancer, yes. However, when it comes to lung cancer, the idea that diet could play a role is rarely discussed.”
The new study borrows from how Lafora unfolds, focusing on glycogen accumulation. This storage molecule, made up of glucose, or a simple sugar, has been found to accumulate in high levels across a variety of cancers and other diseases. Through lab models and computer-guided models of glycogen stores in the lung, the researchers showed that in lung cancer, glycogen acts as an oncogenic metabolite, akin to a “giant lollipop for cancer’s sweet tooth.
The typical Western diet increases glycogen levels and glycogen feeds lung cancer tumors by providing their building blocks for growth. Glycogen is an “exceptionally good predictor” of tumor growth and death in lung cancer patients, Sun said.
Although it’s one of the first instances of lung cancer being linked to diet, it is far from the first time nutrition has been a focal point in cancer prevention and intervention.
The researchers concluded that prioritizing a nutrient-rich diet, maintaining an active lifestyle and minimizing alcohol intake are foundational strategies for long-term health. Fostering better dietary habits can be a powerful tool in lung cancer prevention.”
Ref: Clarke, H.A., Hawkinson, T.R., Shedlock, C.J. et al. Glycogen drives tumour initiation and progression in lung adenocarcinoma. Nat Metab (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-025-01243-8
Artificial Intelligence as a Tool to Identify Cognitive Decline, Finds study
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, so identifying those with cognitive issues early could lead to interventions and better outcomes. But diagnosing MCI can be a long and difficult process, especially in rural areas where access to licensed neuropsychologists is limited.
To increase accessibility to cognitive assessments, a team of researchers at the University of Missouri created a portable system to efficiently measure multiple aspects of motor function. The device is simple and affordable, combining a depth camera, a force plate and an interface board.
For the study, the team examined older adults, some of whom had MCI, and asked them to complete three activities: standing still, walking and standing up from a bench. Participants had to complete these activities while counting backwards in intervals of seven at the same time. Based off their performance, which was captured by the new portable system, the data was fed into a machine learning model — a type of artificial intelligence — that accurately identified 83% of those in the study with MCI.
“The areas of the brain involved in cognitive impairment overlap with areas of the brain involved in motor function, so when one is diminished, the other is impacted as well,” said Trent Guess, an associate professor in the College of Health Sciences. “These can be very subtle differences in motor function related to balance and walking that our new device is able to detect but would go unnoticed through observation.”
Alzheimer’s disease is a significant problem here in the U.S. We know that if we can identify people early, we can provide early intervention to halt or slow the progression of the disease,” said Jamie Hall, an associate teaching professor in the College of Health Sciences.
There are new drugs coming out to treat those with MCI, but you need a diagnosis of MCI to qualify for the medications,” Hall said. “Our portable system can detect if a person walks slower or doesn’t take as big of a step because they are thinking very hard. Some people have more sway and are less balanced or are slower to stand up when they are sitting. Our technology can measure these subtle differences in a way that you could not with a stopwatch.”
Ref: Hall, Jamie B; Akter, Sonia; Rao, Praveen et al. Feasibility of Using a Novel, Multimodal Motor Function Assessment Platform With Machine Learning to Identify Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders 38(4):p 344-350, October–December 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/WAD.0000000000000646
NRG Oncology Study Affirms Radiotherapy's Role After Radical Hysterectomy in Early Cervical Cancer
Results from the NRG Oncology GOG-0263 phase III clinical trial testing the addition of cisplatin-based chemotherapy to adjuvant radiotherapy following radical hysterectomy and lymphadenectomy for patients with early-stage, intermediate-risk cervical carcinoma indicated that the addition of chemotherapy did not improve outcomes for patients and led to increased toxicity for patients. The outcomes of this trial support the use of the current standard of care using adjuvant radiotherapy alone following surgery.
The trial accrued 316 eligible patients with early-stage disease and intermediate-risk factors including a combination of histopathologic factors such as capillary lymphatic space involvement, stromal invasion, and tumor size. Accrued patients had radical hysterectomy prior to enrollment onto the study. Trial participants were randomly assigned to receive either adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) or radiotherapy alone (RT).
The results showed that ninety-two percent of patients had 28 fractions of radiation with median dosage of 50.4 Gy and duration of 39 days, and 91% of the patients in CRT arm received at least 4 cycles of weekly cisplatin. The 3-year recurrence-free survival estimates for the CRT and RT arms were 88.5% and 85.4%.
Therefore the researchers concluded that women with early-stage disease and intermediate-risk factors are treated with radiotherapy alone. Chemotherapy has been considered as an addition to this treatment, based on prior clinical data indicating it could potentially improve outcomes for these women. The outcomes of this trial help confirm that cisplatin chemotherapy given adjuvantly with radiotherapy is not a superior alternative. Future research needs to elaborate whether the timing of chemotherapy can improve outcomes, or if another alternative can be considered to help improve on the results of this trial while limiting toxicity.
Ref: Ryu SY, Deng W et al. Randomized Phase III Trial of Adjuvant Radiation Versus Chemo-Radiation in Intermediate-Risk, Early-Stage Cervical Carcinoma following Radical Hysterectomy and Lymphadenectomy (Results of NRG Oncology/GOG-263). SGO (Society of Gynecologic Oncology). 3/14/2025. Plenary Session Oral Presentation.
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