Fragments of tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream of patients with breast cancer can predict whether they are likely to relapse, especially when samples are taken after the patients have received treatments prior to surgery. The study, to be presented at the 15th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC15) in Barcelona on Friday, included the largest number of events reported so far for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in individual patients. Events could include the tumor starting to grow again, cancer cells spreading to other parts of the body (metastasizing), death or a new tumor in the same or the second breast.

Researchers leading a trial of active surveillance for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) have described early results as "reassuring" in a presentation at the 15th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC15) in Barcelona.

Despite an urgent demand for kidney donors in the U.S., about 1 in 4 donor kidneys goes unused. In 2022, more than 71,000 people were on the kidney transplant waiting list, with waitlists often extending as long as five years for a donor kidney.

When people think about ways to improve cardiovascular health, diet and exercise are often at the top of the list. But long-term health, especially in adolescents, might start with something more fundamental: sleep. A new study, led by a team from Penn State College of Medicine, has found that when teenagers go to sleep and when they wake up may be the driving force behind what teenagers eat and how much they move.

Families are feeling stressed, powerless and "forever in limbo" as they wait months, or sometimes years, for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, according to a new study.

Nearly one in 10 people who are implanted with a surgical fix to their spine will develop a serious bacterial infection, despite prophylactic antibiotic treatment. In a recent study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have engineered a device they hope will help prevent this devastating complication.

Scientists at Cincinnati Children's have identified how certain immune cells are molecularly programmed to respond faster when the body encounters a familiar threat, shedding light on immune memory and its links to diseases such as asthma, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. The study, published in Cell Reports, found that "memory" CD4⁺ T cells—immune cells formed after infection or vaccination—have their DNA primed to activate key defense genes within hours. In contrast, naïve T cells encountering a pathogen for the first time can take days to mount a response.

Northwestern Medicine investigators have uncovered a missing link behind the harmful effects of autoantibodies linked to blood clots, pregnancy complications and other inflammatory conditions, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The dedicator of cytokinesis 10 (DOCK10) gene has been identified as a key driver of abnormal insulin secretion in insulinomas, as reported by researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Using surgical specimens and patient-derived organoids, the team performed comprehensive genetic and transcriptomic analyses, revealing that inhibiting a DOCK10-related pathway reduced excessive insulin release in cellular and animal models. These results pave the way for novel diagnostic biomarkers and treatment options for insulinomas.

Vitamin D supplementation may help shape how the immune system responds to gut bacteria in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a Mayo Clinic-led study published in Cell Reports Medicine.