Falk Gastro Info 10/2025

Shaukat A et al, JAMA. 2025;334(1):56-63

Clinical validation of a circulating tumor DNA-based blood test to screen for colorectal cancer: In an average-risk colorectal cancer screening population of more than 27,000 trial participants, a blood-based test demonstrated acceptable accuracy for colorectal cancer detection but failed to detect advanced dysplasia.

Singh P et al, Gastroenterology. 2025;168(6):1128-1136.e4

Personalized elimination diet for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Subjects on an IgG-guided elimination diet were more likely to achieve the primary endpoint (significant reduction of abdominal pain) than those on a sham elimination diet in a multicenter trial involving more than 200 patients. Subgroup analysis suggests a more robust benefit for subjects with constipation-predominant IBS and IBS with mixed bowel habits.

Bajaj JS et al, J Hepatol. 2025;83(1):81-91

Microbiota transplantation in patients with cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy: The results of a US study with 60 patients show that microbiome transfer can prevent recurrences of hepatic encephalopathy episodes and thereby improve cognitive outcomes and quality of life without relevant side effects. The potential clinical applicability is underscored by the observation that recurrence rates were comparable regardless of route of administration, dosage, or donor type.

Sanyal AJ et al, N Engl J Med. 2025;392(21):2089-2099

Semaglutide improves metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH): In a phase 3 trial, semaglutide led to the resolution of MASH significantly more often than placebo and was also associated with improvements in fibrosis and relevant weight loss. Side effects were mainly gastrointestinal and overall not treatment-limiting. Thus, semaglutide emerges as another potential disease-modifying therapy – although long-term data on clinical outcomes are still lacking.

Dellon ES et al, Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2025 Jul;10(7):622-633

Etrasimod as a treatment for eosinophilic oesophagitis: The sphingosine 1-phosphate modulator etrasimod resulted in a significant reduction of intraepithelial eosinophil counts and endoscopic improvements over 52 weeks in a randomized placebo-controlled phase II trial (VOYAGE). Symptom improvement was also evident in patients without a history of prior endoscopic dilatation therapy.

Panaccione R et al, Lancet. 2025;406(10501):358-375

Therapy with the IL-23 antibody guselkumab for Crohn’s disease: Intravenous induction followed by subcutaneous maintenance therapy with guselkumab was efficacious in participants with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in two independent phase 3 trials (GALAXI-2 and GALAXI-3), showing superiority to placebo and ustekinumab at week 48 across multiple endpoints.