Current cancer screening methods are limited in scope, often detecting only a few cancer types with low positive predictive value and suboptimal patient adherence. In recent years, liquid biopsy-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) has emerged as a promising approach to revolutionize cancer control. Despite several MCED tests reaching clinical trial phases and seeking regulatory approval, none have yet been approved for clinical use, highlighting uncertainties regarding their efficacy and applicability. This review comprehensively examines the advancements in MCED technologies and offers insights into the selection of cancer types for inclusion in MCED panels. Researchers explore the clinical development pathway for MCED, from biomarker discovery and analytical validation to large-scale randomized controlled trials, emphasizing the importance of selecting appropriate endpoints such as reducing late-stage cancer incidence or cancer-specific mortality. Key challenges, including achieving optimal sensitivity for early-stage cancers, minimizing false positives and negatives, and ensuring equitable access to MCED tests, are also addressed. Finally, they evaluate the added value and health economic benefits of integrating MCED into established healthcare systems through widespread implementation. By providing a thorough analysis of these aspects, this review aims to advance the field of cancer screening and guide future research and development efforts.

Childhood maltreatment increases the risk of long-term health and psychological issues, but how it alters children’s development at a biological level remains unclear. In a recent study, researchers from Japan investigated both biological aging and social attention in maltreated preschoolers. Using DNA methylation markers and eye-tracking data, researchers found that abuse accelerates cellular aging and disrupts a child’s attention to people’s eyes—two independent pathways linked to emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Estrogen plays an important role in keeping bones healthy. Now, researchers investigated how membrane-initiated estrogen receptor alpha (mERα) signaling in specific cell types of female mice affects bone health. They found that mERα activity in bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) is crucial for maintaining strong cortical bone, while its role in hematopoietic cells is minimal. These findings provide insights into how estrogen protects bone and could help develop safer therapies that strengthen bones without unwanted side effects.

A new study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and collaborators, suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly improve how doctors determine the best treatment for cancer patients—by enhancing how tumor samples are analyzed in the lab. The findings, published in the July 9 online edition of Nature Medicine, showed that AI can accurately predict genetic mutations from routine pathology slides—potentially reducing the need for rapid genetic testing in certain cases.

MIT engineers developed an implantable reservoir that can remain under the skin and be triggered to release glucagon when people with diabetes are in danger of becoming hypoglycemic.