A new analysis from UC San Francisco argues that diagnostics — medical tests that match patients to the appropriate treatment — are being overlooked both in the United States and around the world. This is slowing progress against major diseases, despite rapid advances in targeted therapies and precision health. 

Children who don’t go to the dentist are less likely to participate in school-based cavity prevention programs, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. In addition, the study found that improving participation in state-wide school dental programs to reach those at high risk for tooth decay could yield significant savings for state Medicaid programs and health care systems, averting up to $2.4 million in emergency department charges annually in New York.

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, unmet health-related social needs were associated with lower colorectal cancer screening uptake, particularly among adults ages 50 to 64. Addressing health-related social needs may support age-specific strategies to improve colorectal cancer screening.

About The Study: Adults 75 years of age or older with adenoma at prior colonoscopy were more likely to experience subsequent colorectal cancer (CRC) and CRC death compared with those without adenoma, but cumulative risks were low and were far exceeded by competing risks for non-CRC death. Older adults may consider deprioritizing surveillance colonoscopy relative to other health concerns.

A new study examined how blood pressure interventions in low-income patient populations could be improved by tracking an enhanced standard care approach against a multi-faceted, team-based program that offered patients more hands-on support. The team-based approach saw significantly greater drops in blood pressure after 18 months, with the program potentially offering a blueprint to tackling hypertension in low-income communities that bear the highest burden of cardiovascular disease. 

UTMB research could help speed the development of vaccines that protect against multiple mosquito‑borne viruses at once, including those that cause severe joint pain, fever, and neurological disease. For patients, this could mean faster responses to outbreaks and broader protection against emerging viruses before they spread widely.

Physicians and scientists from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center will present new research at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, highlighting advances in targeted therapies, cancer immunology, early detection and treatment strategies across a range of tumor types.