All articles tagged with #mass general brigham
Researchers at Mass General Brigham have developed an AI system that estimates biological age and predicts cancer survival rates using a single facial photograph. Published in The Lancet Digital Health, the study demonstrates that facial features can serve as biomarkers for health outcomes, potentially aiding treatment decisions for cancer patients.
Vicky Titcomb, a 72-year-old Cape Cod bookstore owner, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after an abnormality was discovered during a routine heart scan in March 2025. Despite the disease's low overall survival rate, Titcomb underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and a robotic Whipple procedure at Mass General Brigham. By March 2026, she reported no evidence of cancer and is now advocating for early detection and treatment advancements.
Mass General Brigham’s insurance division is removing Dana-Farber Cancer Institute from its Medicare Advantage network starting October 1, 2026. The change affects approximately 1,000 patients, including long-term cancer survivors, who must now switch doctors or insurance plans to maintain coverage. While MGB cites nationwide market pressures, patients describe the move as collateral damage from a broader hospital system split.
A 66-year-old patient at Mass General Brigham survived 271 days on a genetically engineered pig kidney, setting a new record for xenotransplantation. The organ served as a bridge to a human transplant, demonstrating that animal organs can safely sustain patients while they wait for human donors. This success supports the expansion of clinical trials for end-stage kidney disease.
A 66-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease survived for a record 271 days using a genetically modified pig kidney, successfully bridging the gap to a human donor transplant. Published in The Lancet, the case confirms that xenografts can prevent dialysis-related deterioration without compromising future human organ acceptance. While the pig kidney eventually failed due to vascular damage, the patient received a human kidney in January 2026 with no adverse immune reactions. This milestone supports the expansion of clinical trials, with eGenesis planning to treat 33 patients across the US by 2027.
A 66-year-old US man, Tim Andrews, survived 271 days with a genetically modified pig kidney, setting a new record for xenotransplantation. The organ acted as a bridge, freeing him from dialysis until it failed, after which he received a human donor kidney. This milestone supports the use of pig organs to bridge the gap in the severe US organ shortage.
A large observational study finds that drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily is associated with a 2.45-fold higher risk of stomach cancer compared to infrequent consumption, with no such link found for artificially sweetened drinks.
Martha's Vineyard Hospital has launched the first long-term longitudinal study on alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne allergy to mammalian products. The two-year project will track 300 island residents to determine why some develop the condition after lone star tick bites while others do not. This initiative responds to a sharp rise in cases across Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, where symptoms like hives and anaphylaxis have become increasingly common. Researchers aim to identify biological and environmental risk factors to improve future diagnosis and patient care.
Martha's Vineyard Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham, has begun a two-year longitudinal study to track 300 residents exposed to lone star ticks. The research aims to determine why some individuals develop alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne allergy to mammalian products, while others do not. A companion point-prevalence study will analyze 1,500 blood samples from the island, Nantucket, and Boston to compare exposure rates. The initiative, led by infectious disease expert Jacob Lemieux and hospital chief Ellen McMahon, represents the first major research effort by the island hospital, supported by nearly $2 million in funding.
A new observational study from Mass General Brigham finds that drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily is associated with a 2.45-fold higher risk of stomach cancer compared to drinking less than one per month. The analysis covered over 100,000 participants in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. While the study does not prove causation, it highlights a significant correlation between high fructose intake and gastric cancer risk, particularly among women consuming multiple servings daily. Artificially sweetened beverages were not linked to increased risk. Given that 63% of US adults consume such drinks daily, researchers emphasize the need for further investigation into dietary prevention strategies for a cancer often diagnosed late.
Thousands of Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses walked out in Massachusetts’ largest nurses strike, pressing for cost-of-living raises as hospital costs soar. Mass General Brigham defends its package, touting roughly a 30% boost in value through benefits and wage steps, while CEO Anne Klibanski earned $8.4 million in 2023 and top Brigham nurses earn well into six figures. The dispute has the system replacing striking staff with agency nurses and frames a broader pay gap within the hospital network amid rising living costs.
Mass General Brigham researchers used an AI tool to analyze nearly 460,000 medical records and estimate that at least 10 million Americans have long COVID but have not been diagnosed. Their analysis suggests 16% of people who get COVID develop lasting symptoms, though doctors often do not label these as long COVID, underscoring diagnostic gaps as the country faces a growing, multi-system chronic illness. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, has sparked debate about methodology, but reinforces concerns that long COVID remains a major health burden.
Mass General Brigham and Dana-Farber are expanding early cancer-detection programs, including genetic testing and blood-based screenings, as they push prevention and early intervention even as the institutions’ looming split raises questions about value, cost, and patient anxiety; experts caution that not all tests are proven and the benefits must be weighed against potential harms in a growing multicancer-detection market.
A study by Mass General Brigham suggests that 22.8% of Americans may have long COVID, significantly higher than the CDC's 6.9% estimate. Using an AI tool, researchers analyzed electronic records from nearly 300,000 patients to identify symptoms like fatigue and brain fog. The study, published in Med, highlights the challenges in diagnosing long COVID, especially in marginalized communities. The AI tool aims to improve diagnosis and treatment, with potential applications for other conditions like diabetes and COPD.
A new AI tool developed by Mass General Brigham has identified long COVID in 22.8% of patients, significantly higher than previous estimates. By analyzing health records from nearly 300,000 patients, the tool uses 'precision phenotyping' to distinguish long COVID symptoms from other conditions, improving diagnostic accuracy by 3%. This approach may enhance understanding and treatment of long COVID, while addressing biases in traditional diagnostic methods. The study highlights the potential for AI to improve healthcare outcomes and research into long COVID's genetic and biochemical factors.