Falk Gastro Info 6/2026

Kaminski MF et al, Lancet. 2026;407(10541):1787-1795

Long-term effects of colonoscopy screening vs. no screening on colorectal cancer incidence – the NORDICC trial revisited: Follow-up analysis of the NORDICC trial suggests that one colonoscopy significantly reduces colorectal cancer incidence but not mortality after 13 years. However, colorectal cancer mortality in both groups was lower than anticipated.

Westerberg M et al, Nat Med. 2026;32(4):1278-1285

Screening colonoscopy or fecal immunochemical testing versus usual care in colorectal cancer screening – the SCREESCO trial: After a median follow-up of 4.8 years, screening using colonoscopy or fecal immunochemical testing resulted in increased detection rates of early stage I–II colorectal cancer as compared to no screening in a large Swedish trial involving 278.280 individuals.

Xu Y et al, J Hepatol. 2026 [ahead of print]

TNF identified as a key therapeutic node in autoimmune hepatitis: This translational study combined integrative omics approaches with a phase IIa clinical trial in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) to identify disease-driving pathways. The analyses highlighted TNF as a central inflammatory signaling node, and TNF inhibition demonstrated immunological as well as preliminary clinical efficacy. These findings provide an important rationale for future targeted treatment strategies in AIH beyond conventional immunosuppression.

Klausen MK et al, Lancet. 2026;407(10540):1687-1698

Semaglutide in alcohol use disorder and obesity: Promising results from a randomized trial: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated once-weekly semaglutide in patients with alcohol use disorder and comorbid obesity. Semaglutide significantly reduced alcohol consumption while also improving body weight and metabolic outcomes. The findings suggest a potential new pharmacological treatment strategy for patients with coexisting alcohol dependence and metabolic disease, although larger long-term studies are still needed.

Ahmad AI et al, JAMA Intern Med. 2026;186(5):578-584

Holding vs. continuing GLP-1/GIP agonists before upper endoscopy: In the randomized OCULUS trial, continuing GLP-1 or GIP agonists in the preprocedural period significantly increased the residual gastric volume but did not increase the risk of other adverse events. Risk may be mitigated by clear liquid diet the day before endoscopy.

Kulkarni C et al, Nat Med. 2026;32(3):1023-1033

Beneficial effects of a fasting-mimicking diet in patients with Crohn’s disease: A fasting-mimicking diet on 5 consecutive days per month for 3 months was superior to a baseline diet for inducing clinical response and remission as well as improvements in inflammation markers in patients with mild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease in a randomized trial.