Roundup: New Blood Test May Help Foresee Alzheimer’s Symptoms; and More News

New Blood Test May Predict When Alzheimer’s Symptoms Are About to Begin

A new blood test under development may do more than detect Alzheimer’s disease — it could help predict when symptoms are likely to appear. According to a new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study, small pieces of genetic material circulating in the blood may provide an earlier and more accurate warning that memory and thinking problems are approaching.

The findings could eventually help doctors identify people who are most likely to benefit from emerging Alzheimer’s treatments and improve the way clinical trials are conducted.

Looking Beyond Traditional Alzheimer’s Blood Tests

Current blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease primarily detect proteins linked to amyloid plaques—abnormal clumps of protein that build up in the brain and are considered one of the disease’s defining features. While these tests can accurately identify Alzheimer’s-related changes, they often become positive many years, or even decades, before symptoms such as memory loss begin.

As a result, they provide limited information about when a person is likely to develop cognitive impairment, a decline in memory, thinking and reasoning abilities.

Researchers believe a new type of biomarker may fill that gap. A biomarker is a measurable substance in the body that provides information about health or disease.

The new study focused on circular RNAs (circRNAs), small loops of genetic material that help regulate how genes function. Unlike amyloid plaques, which accumulate slowly over time, circRNAs appear to reflect more recent changes occurring in the brain.

Stronger Predictor of Symptom Onset

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine analyzed blood samples from more than 1,200 people across several independent research groups. They identified 34 circRNAs that were consistently associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers found that blood tests based on these circRNAs performed about as well as today's leading Alzheimer’s blood biomarker, known as pTau217, in identifying people with Alzheimer’s-related brain changes.

However, the new markers showed a major advantage when predicting future disease progression.

People with elevated levels of the 34 circRNAs had nearly three times the risk of developing Alzheimer’s symptoms compared with those who had lower levels. The researchers also found that these RNA changes appeared approximately two to four years before symptoms developed, making them a potentially valuable tool for identifying individuals who are approaching the earliest stages of the disease.

The findings were confirmed in two separate groups of participants, strengthening confidence in the results.

Potential Benefits for Patients and Researchers

If future studies confirm these findings, a circRNA blood test could help physicians determine when to begin newer Alzheimer’s treatments that target amyloid plaques before significant cognitive decline occurs.

The test may also prove useful for monitoring how patients respond to treatment. Researchers noted that some people receiving amyloid-removing therapies may no longer test positive for current protein biomarkers, even though the disease process continues. CircRNAs may offer a broader picture of ongoing brain changes.

The researchers are now working with commercial partners to develop a clinical version of the blood test that could eventually be used in medical practice.

Although additional research is needed before the test becomes widely available, the study represents a promising step toward more personalized care for people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier identification of individuals nearing symptom onset could improve treatment decisions, accelerate research and ultimately help preserve memory and cognitive function for longer.

Breast Cancer and Irregular Heartbeat May Share Common Risk Factors, Study Finds

A new global study suggests that breast cancer and atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of irregular heartbeat, may be linked by some of the same lifestyle risk factors—particularly smoking and alcohol use.

The research, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analyzed health data from women ages 55 and older in more than 200 countries and found that the two conditions often occur at similar rates, especially in higher-income Western nations.

Researchers say the findings reinforce the importance of healthy lifestyle choices that may help reduce the risk of both diseases.

Shared Lifestyle Risks

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, while atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder that causes the upper chambers of the heart to beat irregularly. AFib can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular complications.

To better understand why both conditions appear to be common in similar regions, researchers evaluated data from 204 countries and territories. They examined exposure to 58 health, lifestyle and environmental risk factors, including smoking, alcohol use, body weight and physical activity.

After adjusting for multiple factors, smoking and alcohol use emerged as the strongest shared risk factors for both breast cancer and atrial fibrillation.

In a news release, study co-author Shu Wang, M.D., Ph.D., said identifying these common risk factors could help guide prevention efforts. "Identifying shared risk factors is important for developing interventions that support optimal health, such as smoking cessation and alcohol restriction, which could potentially reduce the global incidence of breast cancer and atrial fibrillation/flutter substantially."

Western Countries Had Higher Rates

Researchers found that about 40 percent of the countries studied had similar rates of both breast cancer and atrial fibrillation among women age 55 and older.

The highest rates were generally seen in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many European countries. According to the researchers, these regions also tend to have greater exposure to smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyles and higher rates of obesity.

The analysis estimated that reducing smoking and alcohol use worldwide could lower breast cancer risk by approximately 15 percent and atrial fibrillation risk by about 12 percent.

Alcohol alone accounted for an estimated 9.3 percent of breast cancer cases and 7.6 percent of atrial fibrillation cases in the analysis.

"One of the most surprising aspects of our findings was how common both breast cancer and atrial fibrillation/flutter diagnoses were among women ages 55 and older in high-income regions, which highlights the influence of lifestyle," Wang said.

A Growing Focus on Heart and Cancer Health

Experts say the findings reflect growing recognition that heart disease and cancer often share many of the same preventable risk factors.

Laxmi Mehta, M.D., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association's Council on Clinical Cardiology, who was not involved in the study, noted in a news release that smoking, alcohol use, poor diet, physical inactivity and obesity contribute to both cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

She said the results support following the American Heart Association's “Life's Essential 8,” which promotes healthy eating, regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco, maintaining a healthy weight, managing blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and getting adequate sleep.

Global Cancer Cases Near 21 Million as Experts Call for Greater Prevention and Early Detection

Nearly 21 million people worldwide were diagnosed with cancer in 2024, and that number is expected to climb dramatically over the next 25 years, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer research agency of the World Health Organization.

The report, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, estimates that about 20.9 million new cancer cases and 9.8 million cancer-related deaths occurred globally in 2024. Researchers project that annual cancer diagnoses will increase to 34 million by 2050—a 67 percent rise driven largely by population growth and aging.

The findings also estimate that about one in five people worldwide will develop cancer during their lifetime. About one in nine men and one in 13 women will die from the disease.

Prevention and Early Detection Could Save Millions of Lives

Researchers say the growing burden of cancer is not inevitable. Nearly half of cancer deaths could be prevented by reducing exposure to known risk factors and improving access to screening, early diagnosis and timely treatment.

Risk factors are behaviors or exposures that increase the likelihood of developing disease. Many are considered modifiable, meaning people can take steps to reduce their risk. These include avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active and protecting against certain infections that can lead to cancer.

Some cancers, such as cervical cancer, are also largely preventable through vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) and regular screening that detects abnormal cells before they become cancerous.

Researchers emphasize that improving access to cancer screening and treatment is especially important in lower-income countries, where survival rates are often much lower despite fewer people being diagnosed.

Lung, Breast and Colorectal Cancers Lead Worldwide

Lung cancer remained the most commonly diagnosed cancer globally in 2024, with nearly 2.6 million new cases. It was also the leading cause of cancer deaths, accounting for about 1.9 million deaths. Tobacco use continues to be the primary driver of lung cancer worldwide.

Female breast cancer ranked second in new diagnoses, with approximately 2.4 million cases, and was the leading cancer among women. Colorectal cancer was the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths globally, with more than 2 million new cases and more than 918,000 deaths.

Other major contributors to the global cancer burden included liver, prostate, stomach, pancreatic and thyroid cancers.

Unequal Access to Care Remains a Major Challenge

The report highlights large differences in cancer outcomes across countries. For example, women in Western Africa are twice as likely to die from breast cancer as women in Australia and New Zealand, even though breast cancer is diagnosed less often in Western Africa. Researchers say these differences largely reflect unequal access to screening, diagnosis and effective treatment.

Prostate cancer death rates were also disproportionately high in the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, cervical cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among women in 26 countries, despite being one of the most preventable cancers.

The report’s authors conclude that expanding cancer prevention programs, increasing access to early detection and ensuring equitable treatment worldwide will be essential to reducing the growing global impact of cancer over the coming decades.