A new study has found that a combination of two drugs could enhance the immune system to treat one of the most common types of cancer in the world, bowel cancer. Also known as colorectal cancer, despite its widespread presence, the treatment options for this condition are limited. What the study specifically found was that this procedure could shrink the tumours caused by this condition by around 60%.

What Are The Drugs Involved

The trial involved the use of two immunotherapy drugs, botancilimab and balstilumab. It is a monoclonal antibody that works to stimulate the body's immune system to attack cancer. The study is a rather significant find, as it’s the first time that a consistent and durable response to immunotherapy has been reported in patients with solid MSS mCRC tumours.

The study was divided into several phases for more than 6 months. In the US trial, around around 101 patients with microsatile stable metastatic colorectal (MSS-mCRC) tumours showed a decrease . Around 61% of the patients experienced tumour shrinkage or stabilization after combined treatment with votancilumab and balstilumab. When it comes to downsides, diarrhea and fatigue were found to be the most common side effects or side effects of this drug.

These results are interesting and open to exploration. To date, immunotherapy has not been effective in patients with CNS-mCRC tumors. This study demonstrates the potential of the combination of botenlimab and balstilimab in the treatment of CNS mCRC, providing new hope for people diagnosed with colon cancer.

What Could This Mean For Bowel Cancer Treatment In The Future

The study is currently in the final stages of clinical trials, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hopes to quickly gain approval for its use because of the importance of this area that affects many people. The efficiency shown demonstrates the potential of botansilimab to contribute to broad antitumor immunity.

All in all, the combination of botensilimab and balstilimab represents a promising new direction in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This breakthrough could improve conditions for many patients worldwide and lights a new hope in the fight against this common disease. The results of this study show the effectiveness of immunotherapy in this field and how its potential to transform cancer treatment can only grow in the years to come.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new breast cancer treatment that aims to act on signs of treatment resistance before the cancer starts progressing.

The US FDA has granted accelerated approval to Etcamah (camizestrant), in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor, for adults with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose tumours develop an ESR1 mutation while being treated with an aromatase inhibitor and a CDK4/6 inhibitor.

All About The New Breast Cancer Treatment

The new approach uses a blood test to detect circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) carrying an ESR1 mutation. If the mutation is detected, doctors can switch treatment to camizestrant rather than waiting for visible disease progression on scans.

The FDA described this as its first cancer therapy approval guided by detection of a resistance mutation in circulating tumour DNA before imaging shows progression of the disease.

Also read: Have Dense Breasts? What Women Should Know About Their Breast Cancer Risk

What Did The Clinical Trial Find?

The approval was based on results from the Phase III SERENA-6 trial, which included 315 patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

All participants were receiving an aromatase inhibitor plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor as their initial endocrine based treatment and had no evidence of disease progression when an ESR1 mutation was detected through blood testing.

Patients were randomly assigned to either switch to camizestrant while continuing their CDK4/6 inhibitor or continue their existing aromatase inhibitor with the CDK4/6 inhibitor.

Survival period without progression was 16 months with camizestrant compared with 9.2 months with standard treatment. The risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 56% with the camizestrant combination.

Also read: Alcohol-Linked Cancer Deaths Doubled In US: Colorectal Leads In Men, Breast Leads In Women

Importance Of ESR1 Mutations

ESR1 mutations are one way hormone receptor-positive breast cancers can adapt to treatment. According to the FDA, fewer than 5% of patients have an ESR1 mutation when HR-positive metastatic breast cancer is first diagnosed. After disease progression on an aromatase inhibitor, however, the mutation is found in nearly 40% of patients.

This means that detecting the mutation earlier could potentially give doctors a chance to change treatment while the cancer is still controlled.

Dr Kevin Kalinsky, an investigator on SERENA-6, said, "The approach allows doctors to change treatment at an earlier opportunity ahead of disease progression rather than waiting until the cancer becomes harder to treat."

Risks And Limitations

The FDA approval is accelerated, meaning continued approval may depend on confirmatory studies that will verify clinical benefit.

The regulator specifically noted that it has not yet been established whether intervening when an ESR1 mutation is detected, before radiographic progression, ultimately translates into a meaningful overall survival benefit.

The FDA has simultaneously approved the Guardant360 CDx blood test as a companion diagnostic to identify patients whose tumours carry the relevant ESR1 mutations.

The significance of the approval therefore goes beyond a new drug. It represents a shift toward using molecular clues in the bloodstream to detect treatment resistance and change therapy before cancer progression becomes visible on a scan.

Illegal horse trade across the US-Mexico border are raising fresh concerns among US officials and ranchers as the country tries to contain the spread of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that can cause severe and possibly fatal wounds in animals.

According to Reuters, horses and other animals are continuing to cross the border outside regulated channels, bypassing veterinary inspections designed to detect diseases and parasites.

There is no confirmed link between individual smuggled horses and specific screwworm cases, but experts warn that uncontrolled animal movement creates a gap.

What Is New World Screwworm?

Unlike ordinary maggots that generally feed on dead tissue, screwworm larvae feed on living tissue, creating wounds that can become severe as more larvae develop. The parasite can infest cattle, horses, pets and wildlife and, more rarely, humans. An untreated infestation can cause serious tissue damage and death.

The US had previously eradicated the parasite through a decades-long campaign involving the release of sterilised male flies. But New World screwworm has been moving northward through Mexico and is now threatening US livestock again.

Also read: Wegovy & Zepbound Are Not Approved By US FDA For Children Under 12: So Why Are Prescriptions Rising?

Smuggled Horses Are A Concern

Animals entering the US through legal channels undergo veterinary checks and must meet health requirements. Smuggled animals can bypass those safeguards.

Reuters reported that authorities in Presidio County, Texas, have intercepted more than 50 smuggled horses over two years. Some were reportedly moved through remote areas along the Texas-Mexico border, making them difficult to monitor.

That matters because an infected animal can potentially carry screwworm larvae or adult flies into new areas.

USDA officials have described animal trafficking as a biosecurity concern. However, authorities have not established that illegally transported horses are responsible for particular screwworm infections in the US.

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Why Is The US Worried About Screwworm Again?

The parasite was previously eliminated from the US, making its recent return a major agricultural concern.

The USDA says New World screwworm is a devastating pest capable of causing serious, often deadly damage to livestock. It can also affect pets, wildlife and, in rare circumstances, people.

The economic consequences include potential damage from a major Texas outbreak at up to $1.8 billion, reflecting losses to livestock and related industries.

The threat comes as the US is also navigating the difficult balance between controlling screwworm and maintaining livestock trade with Mexico.

In August, the US began a phased reopening of Mexican cattle imports after a more than year-long suspension linked to the screwworm threat. Mexico has simultaneously been releasing sterile flies and other containment efforts along its northern border.

How Is The US Trying To Stop It?

One of the main tools is the sterile insect technique. Large numbers of male screwworm flies are sterilised and released into affected areas. When they mate with wild females, they produce no viable offspring, helping reduce the population.

As of September 4, the agency said the current risk to animals and people in the US remained very low, and stressed that screwworm is not a food-safety issue. But illegal animal trade complicates those efforts.

The use of GLP-1 medications weight-loss medications among children under 12 in the US has risen in recent years, according to a new study. This has raised questions about how these drugs should be used in younger children and what is known about their long-term effects.

Researchers studied health records from more than 3.5 million children aged 8 to 11 with obesity and found that prescriptions for GLP-1 medications increased more than 300-fold between 2019 and June 2026.

Prescriptions Have Increased Dramatically

In 2019, only about 0.03% of children in the study group had been prescribed a GLP-1 drug. By June 2026, that figure had risen to 9.3%.

The medications included drugs like Wegovy and Saxenda, made by Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly's Zepbound.

The researchers used data from Epic Cosmos, a large electronic health-record database covering patients across the US. Epic was not involved in the study.

Also read: The New Nutrition Gap: Why Knowing What To Eat Doesn't Mean We Actually Eat It

Most Children Had Severe Obesity Or Other Health Problems

The rise does not appear to represent routine prescribing for children who are simply above a healthy weight.

Among children receiving GLP-1 medications, 94% had severe obesity, while about 65% had obesity-related health conditions, including high blood pressure or sleep apnea.

Childhood obesity can increase the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular problems. Hence, along with lifestyle changes, doctors are increasingly looking for treatments.

GLP-1 Drugs Are Not FDA-Approved For Under-12s

One of the major concerns surrounding the findings is that the GLP-1 medications included in the study are not formally FDA-approved for weight management in children younger than 12.

However, doctors can prescribe medicines off-label when they believe there is a medical reason to do so. Clinical guidelines can also support the use of obesity medications in certain circumstances involving younger children.

The study therefore does not necessarily mean that doctors are prescribing these drugs indiscriminately. Instead, it shows how rapidly their use has expanded among children with obesity.

Also read: The Postpartum Nutrition Gap: Why New Mothers Often Neglect Their Own Health After Delivery

Long-Term Safety

Dr Babak Orandi of NYU Langone Health, one of the researchers, highlighted the importance of long-term monitoring as these medications become more widely used in younger children.

He said that while the absolute numbers of children under 12 receiving GLP-1 treatment is still low, the study shows that GLP-1 use ‌is ⁠accelerating rapidly among that age group. Orandi also said that long-term safety monitoring is needed to ensure the drugs remain safe and effective for children.

Additionally, children from higher-income households were 55% more likely to be prescribed the drugs than lower-income communities. This suggested emerging disparities ⁠in access, according to the study published in the journal Pediatrics.

"Physicians and health policymakers alike have a responsibility to ensure ... these valuable and sometimes costly treatments become available to more than those who have ⁠access to health insurance and can afford to visit pediatric clinics," said Allan Massie, co-author of the study and associate professor of surgery at NYU Grossman School ⁠of Medicine.

So even if these medicines prove to be useful for treating severe childhood obesity, access may depend partly on a family's ability to obtain the medicine, insurance coverage and treatment.

GLP-1 drugs can cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. But questions around prolonged use during childhood extend beyond short-term side effects, including how treatment may affect growth, development and nutritional health over time.