https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Lancet In 2023, 259,000 people died from meningitis and 2.5 million people were infected with the disease globally, suggests a study published in The Lancet Neurology. Although death and infection rates have declined significantly since 1990, progress is insufficient to meet the WHO targets of a 50% reduction in infections and 70% reduction in deaths by 2030. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-global-meningitis-deaths-young-children.html Fri, 27 Mar 2026 19:30:04 EDT news693827639 Oral semaglutide (a GLP-1 pill) is not effective at slowing progression in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease, finds the first large Phase III randomized controlled trials on the topic published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-weight-loss-drug-semaglutide-alzheimer.html Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:20:04 EDT news693227167 Rising temperatures due to climate change could drive millions more adults globally into physical inactivity by 2050, being linked to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and billions of dollars in lost productivity, suggests a modeling study published in The Lancet Global Health journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-climate-millions-physical-inactivity.html Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:30:03 EDT news692878681 Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and often goes undiagnosed until vision loss is advanced. Population-wide screening has long been considered impractical, but recent advances in AI may provide a more viable option. According to a paper published in The Lancet Primary Care, a new AI-based screening tool reduces the number of unnecessary referrals for glaucoma by half, while maintaining a similar level of accuracy to eye doctor diagnoses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-screening-ai-unnecessary-glaucoma-referrals.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:40:01 EDT news692609941 An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm used to detect breast cancer in screening scans has been adapted into a risk score that estimates a woman's risk of developing breast cancer over the next four years, according to a new paper published in The Lancet Digital Health. The AI-based tool, called the BRAIx risk score, identified women at high risk of developing breast cancer, with nearly 1 in 10 of those scored in the top 2% by the tool diagnosed within four years despite being given the all-clear. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-ai-breast-cancer-years.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:40:02 EST news691850246 Despite recent advancements in breast cancer treatments, new breast cancer cases in women are predicted to rise by a third globally from 2.3 million in 2023 to more than 3.5 million in 2050. Similarly, yearly deaths from the disease are projected to surge 44%, from around 764,000 to 1.4 million, with disproportionate impact in countries with limited resources, according to a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study Breast Cancer Collaborators, published in The Lancet Oncology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-breast-cancer-common-women-worldwide.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:30:01 EST news691403521 Modern hip replacements are nearly twice as likely as older hip replacements to last at least 25 years, suggests a study published in The Lancet. The authors of the systematic review and meta-analysis employed advanced modeling techniques to estimate that 92% of modern hip replacements are likely to last at least 25 years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-hip-years.html Surgery Fri, 27 Feb 2026 10:40:03 EST news691410661 A Phase I clinical trial published in The Lancet has shown that combining stem cell therapy with standard fetal surgery before birth is a safe and promising approach to treat myelomeningocele, a severe form of spina bifida. This is the first time live stem cells have been used on a fetus's damaged spine, which could potentially lead to better health outcomes for babies compared to traditional fetal surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-utero-stem-cell-therapy-fetal.html Pediatrics Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:30:03 EST news691344361 A novel GLP-1 receptor agonist (RA) pill called orforglipron leads to a larger reduction in blood sugar levels after a year than the current available oral GLP-1 RA (semaglutide), finds a phase 3 randomized controlled trial published in The Lancet. Additionally, participants taking orforglipron had significantly greater reductions in body weight than those taking oral semaglutide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-glp-pill-orforglipron-outperforms-oral.html Overweight & Obesity Thu, 26 Feb 2026 06:30:01 EST news691254421 A new, daily oral tablet that combines two current HIV treatment medications, bictegravir and lenacapavir (BIC/LEN), could effectively replace more complicated HIV treatment regimens used by people living with HIV who are long-term survivors, according to the results of a new phase 3 clinical trial published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-daily-pill-complex-multi-tablet.html HIV & AIDS Wed, 25 Feb 2026 13:40:02 EST news691172461 Artificial intelligence (AI)-supported mammography identifies more cancers during screening and reduces the rate of breast cancer diagnosis by 12% in the years following, finds the first randomized controlled trial of its kind. The trial involved over 100,000 Swedish women, and its results are published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-ai-mammography-screening-results-aggressive.html Health informatics Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:30:04 EST news688842841 Most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is rooted in concerns that can be addressed and effectively reduced over time, according to a new study following more than 1.1 million people in England between January 2021 and March 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-covid-vaccine-hesitancy-linked.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:30:03 EST news687442321 A single-dose oral medication called zoliflodacin shows promise as a new treatment for antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, according to a Phase III trial published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-dose-oral-treatment-gonorrhea-effectively.html Medications Thu, 11 Dec 2025 18:30:08 EST news684680170 For adults who have recovered from depression with the help of antidepressants, gradually reducing medication together with psychological support appears to be as effective as remaining on antidepressants for preventing relapse, according to a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 76 randomized controlled trials, published in The Lancet Psychiatry. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-tapering-therapy-effective-strategy-antidepressants.html Medications Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:30:01 EST news684583887 A new study tracking the mental health of adults in the Gaza Strip suggests that psychological distress has tripled over the past five years, with a sharp increase following the conflict escalation in October 2023. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-psychological-distress-gaza-tripled-years.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:05:03 EST news683294701 The increase of UPFs in diets worldwide presents an urgent challenge to health that demands coordinated policies and advocacy action to address, says a new three-paper Series authored by 43 global experts and published in The Lancet. The Series exposes the tactics UPF companies use to drive consumption and prevent effective policy. It outlines a roadmap for change towards impactful government regulation, community mobilization, and accessible and affordable healthier diets. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-global-ultra-foods-poses-major.html Health Tue, 18 Nov 2025 18:30:02 EST news682604581 The rate of children and adolescents experiencing high blood pressure worldwide nearly doubled between 2000 and 2020, according to a new meta-analysis published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-high-blood-pressure-children-global.html Cardiology Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:30:11 EST news682159850 A new Lancet Oncology Commission highlights a growing "human crisis" in cancer care. Despite advances in treatment and increased survival rates, many patients worldwide are not receiving the compassionate, holistic support they need. The article, "The human crisis in cancer: a Lancet Oncology Commission," is published in The Lancet Oncology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-global-cancer-human.html Oncology & Cancer Mon, 03 Nov 2025 23:00:03 EST news681393180 New global findings in the 9th annual indicator report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change reveal that the continued overreliance on fossil fuels and failure to adapt to climate change is being paid in people's lives, health, and livelihoods, with 12 of 20 indicators tracking health threats reaching unprecedented levels. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-climate-inaction-paid-millions-year.html Environment Tue, 28 Oct 2025 20:10:07 EDT news680786821 Many clinical trials exclude women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or able to become pregnant. This is often done to protect the health of unborn babies and infants, but it means there is little reliable information about how medicines and treatments affect these women and their babies, according to a Viewpoint published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-pregnant-breastfeeding-women-medical.html Medical research Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:39:02 EDT news680513941 Antidepressants can differ widely in how they physically affect the body, including around a 4 kg difference in weight change between certain drugs (approximately 2.5 kg weight loss from agomelatine and 2 kg weight gain from maprotiline), confirms a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-antidepressants-vary-widely-physical-side.html Medications Tue, 21 Oct 2025 18:30:03 EDT news680194142 More than 54,600 children in Gaza are estimated to be acutely malnourished, including over 12,800 severely so, with few therapeutic options available to them. With measurements up to the middle of August 2025, the study comprehensively tracks wasting among children during the war, estimates population prevalence, and highlights unprecedented increases in child malnutrition following periods of blockades and severe aid restrictions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-tens-thousands-children-aged-acute.html Health Wed, 08 Oct 2025 18:30:04 EDT news679131421 A new way of diagnosing heavy bleeding after birth (postpartum hemorrhage or PPH) is more effective at identifying women in need of treatment than the current diagnostic method, suggests a meta-analysis published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-method-women-dangerous-blood-loss.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:03:03 EDT news678970982 Food systems are key drivers of the world's most urgent challenges, from chronic diseases and rising inequality to accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss, according to the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable, and Just Food Systems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-billions-lack-access-healthy-diets.html Health Thu, 02 Oct 2025 18:30:01 EDT news678619442 A new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases involving over 460,000 children and adolescents across 40 pediatric hospitals in the U.S. suggests that children who were infected with COVID-19 for the second time during the omicron wave had more than double the risk of developing long COVID. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-covid-children-high-infection.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:30:01 EDT news678442501 There has been a rapid increase in the global number of cancer cases and deaths between 1990 and 2023, despite advances in cancer treatment and efforts to tackle cancer risk factors over that same time period. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-cancer-deaths-million.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:30:03 EDT news677948979 The approval of new antibody medications for Alzheimer's disease—lecanemab and donanemab—and diagnostic tests in the blood mark the beginning of a new era in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and treatment. However, without rapid reform in health care systems, public policy, and societal attitudes, their potential will not be fully realized, argue 40 leading Alzheimer's disease experts in The Lancet Series on Alzheimer's disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-experts-outline-health-policy-social.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 22 Sep 2025 18:30:03 EDT news677494227 A higher weekly dose of semaglutide (7.2 mg) can significantly improve weight loss and related health outcomes in adults living with obesity, including those with type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to the results of two large-scale, international phase 3 clinical trials. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-higher-doses-semaglutide-safely-weight.html Medications Sun, 14 Sep 2025 18:30:01 EDT news676821960 Death rates from chronic diseases have fallen in four out of five countries around the world in the last decade—but progress has slowed, suggests an analysis led by researchers at Imperial College London and published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-analysis-chronic-disease-deaths-declining.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 10 Sep 2025 18:30:03 EDT news676716331 Existing approaches to behavioral programs targeted at parents with children up to age 12 months and that aim to combat childhood obesity are insufficient to improve body mass index (BMI) at approximately two years of age, according to the largest study to date on the topic, published in The Lancet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-parent-focused-obesity-toddlers-analysis.html Overweight & Obesity Wed, 10 Sep 2025 18:30:01 EDT news676651381