In the News
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, receives $3 million grant to boost colorectal cancer screening follow-up in underserved communities
To help ensure more people benefit from colorectal cancer screening, Dr. May, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program and associate director of the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, and Beth Glenn, PhD, associate director of the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, are leading a team of researchers in public health, health services and health economics who will evaluate a multilevel health system intervention in one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Centers systems in the country, where only 18-30% of patients who receive abnormal FIT results complete the necessary colonoscopy follow-up. Read more on UCLA Health News & Insights
Pancreatic cancer surge may be less worrisome than it seemed
Researchers have seen an unexpected rise in pancreatic cancer among young people in the United States from 2000 to 2018. A new study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that concerns over these findings may be misguided. The investigators suggest that the surprising rise in pancreatic cancer may be because statistics on pancreatic cancer lump together very different types of tumors that happen to arise in pancreas, adenocarcinoma and endocrine tumors. The latter tend to be indolent, taking years or even decades to grow and spread, and are thought to be responsible for driving the increase in pancreatic cancer among the young. The study investigators suspect endocrine tumors are being detected by CT or MRI scans, which have gotten increasingly sensitive and are used frequently. “Sometimes we see things on imaging and we have to go after it,” said Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, associate professor of medicine, who was quoted in a New York Times article on the new study but was not involved in the study. “People might end up with a big surgery. But it is hard to tell who needs the surgery and who doesn’t.”
New study hopes to explain why more black women are getting cancer
"We know that even though black women are likely to get screened for breast cancer ... the quality of the screening and the care that they get, the timeliness of the care, is not [at] a point where it needs to be." -- Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program, assistant professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Watch ABC 30 interview
UCLA GI fellows win ACG’s Social Media Acumen Award for their work on the 2024 UCLA Health Colorectal Cancer Awareness Campaign
The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Social Media Acumen awards celebrate the strategic role of social media in scientific exchange, journal publishing, clinical education, professional development, and patient awareness in the fields of gastroenterology, endoscopy and hepatology. UCLA GI fellows played an important role in the system-wide cancer awareness and prevention efforts at UCLA by participating in events, posting on social media, conducting interviews on Univision and Facebook Live, and lending their voices to PSAs via Minuto De Salud. The campaign is led by the Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases under the direction of Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPHil, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program.
Leveraging social media to advance health equity in gastroenterology
The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) offers ACG Education Universe, an online learning resource. Dr. Fola May, associate professor of medicine, discusses Leveraging Social Media to Advance Health Equality in Gastroenterology
A new colorectal cancer blood test is here. What does in mean for screening?
In July, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new blood-based test to screen for colorectal cancer. While an exciting option, the test has its pros and cons. Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program, provides expert commentary in this Medscape article.
In a big step for liquid biopsy, FDA approves a blood screening test for colorectal cancer
The Food and Drug Administration approved a blood test intended to detect colon cancer, a product many experts hope will help catch cases of the disease early enough so that they can be more easily treated. The test, called Shield and made by Guardant Health, a Palo Alto, California based biotech firm, comes with a drawback: It is not as good as colonoscopy and other tests at detecting precancerous growths or early-stage cancers. But some experts have welcomed it as a way to help address the problem of poor adherence to screening guidelines. As effective as colonoscopy is as both a way of finding cancer and removing lesions that could become cancer later on, many people are unwilling to undergo the procedure. “I am excited about it. There is this highly resistant population that will always refuse the colonoscopy and stool tests. It gives them another option,” said Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin & Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program. Read STAT News article
A consumerized diagnostic: Looking back on a decade of Cologuard
When Cologuard was launched a decade ago, Exact Sciences paired a more convenient diagnostic test with a dramatically different - and at the time risky - approach to educating and engaging consumers about the test. Now, as Cologuard celebrates its 10th anniversary, it has proven that it can eliminate many of the barriers associated with traditional screening methods, making colorectal cancer screening more accessible. "Colorectal cancer is the number two cancer killer, but it doesn’t need to be this way. We have very effective tools to find the precursors to this cancer and also to detect these cancers at earlier, more curable stages," says Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin & Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program. "With the convenience of a noninvasive use-at-home test and the ability to find more than 90% of cancers as well as many pre-cancers, Cologuard is unique among non-invasive tests. That’s why I recommend it as an option to average-risk individuals who prefer a home-based screening." Learn more in the Forbes article
Colon cancers are rising among the young: Know the warning signs
Colon cancer is increasingly hitting Americans under the age of 50, and a new study outlines the warning signs that these young patients first encounter. The analysis was based on data from 80 different studies, involving almost 25 million patients under the age of 50. The numbers are "alarming," said Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin & Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program. "Since 1995, there has been a 45% increase in colorectal cancer diagnoses in people under the age of 50," she noted. The uptick in cases was so dramatic that in 2021 the influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended age of first screening from 50 to 45. Read article in U.S. News & World Report and Medicine Net
Colon cancer rates have been rising for decades in younger people, study finds
Colorectal cancer rates have been rising for decades among people younger than the age recommended for routine screening, new research finds. Despite the increases, the overall number of cases in people younger than 40 was still low. In people under age 30, cases remained exceedingly rare. Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program, provided expert commentary in the NBC News article Colon cancer rates have been rising for decades in younger people, study finds.
An inspiring weekend in LA with women in GI
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) supports women in gastroenterology by offering opportunities for career and professional development as a part of a framework to advance gender equity in gastroenterology. To support these efforts, they’ve been bringing together women in GI for regional workshops across the country. The most recent workshop was held at the UCLA, where 50 women in academia and private practice from all career stages heard from women leaders who facilitated conversations in topics most relevant to their personal and professional development. Lin Chang, MD, vice chief of the division, was a co-organizer and speaker. UCLA GI speakers also included Jihane N. Benhammou, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor of medicine; Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, associate professor of medicine; and Suzanne R. Smith, MSN, NP, CMT-P, integrative health practitioner. Read full AGA story
Balancing hope and reality: The promise and peril of blood-based colorectal cancer screening
Blood-based tests are important to expand options for patients and their physicians in colorectal cancer screening. But tests that both prevent and detect colorectal cancer early should continue to be the encouraged gold standard. After all, it’s better to prevent colorectal cancer before it occurs than catch it afterward, says Dr. Fola May. Read STAT News opinion article
Evolving CRC epidemiology offers challenges and opportunities
Over the past few decades, the demographics, location and stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis have shifted, resulting in new patterns of disease presentation that clinicians should be aware of and that should prompt research to understand the risk factors driving this evolving epidemiology. At the 2023 annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, Dr. May gave a presentation on four major shifts in the epidemiology of colorectal cancer (CRC) and their implications. Read Gastroenterology & Hepatology News article
How to improve cancer screening among young adults
This year in the United States, an estimated 2 million people will receive a new cancer diagnosis, and a growing proportion will be younger adults and people of color. Many of these cases could be prevented — nearly 60 percent of colorectal cancers, for example, could be avoided with early detection. Dr. Fola May is trying to understand why cancer screening rates are lagging, and what we can do to get people these potentially lifesaving tests. Read The Commonwealth Fund article
Improving colorectal cancer screening options
Dr. Fola May laid out the need that prompted the April 8 session on emerging colorectal cancer screening tests at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego. Read Cancer Today article
Colorectal cancer death rates climb for men and women under 50 and so dies the urgent need for early screening
In its 2024 Report on annual cancer rates and deaths, the American Cancer Society highlights that colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for men younger than 50 and the second leading cause of cancer death for women under 50.
Folasade May, MD, PhD, MPhil, UCLA Health cancer prevention researcher and gastroenterologist, and a member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, addressed the trend and what needs to happen to stop it. UCLA Health News & Insights
Know your risk: 10 things Blacks need to know about colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer remains a significant health concern, particularly for the Black community, which faces higher incidence rates and lower survival rates compared to the white population. According to a study, Black Americans are about 20 percent more likely to develop colorectal cancer and 40 percent more likely to die from it than other groups. Despite these statistics, screening rates among Black Americans are historically lower, contributing to delayed detection and poorer outcomes. BlackDoctor.org (BDO) sat down with Dr. Folasade P. May, co-leader of the Stand Up To Cancer Colorectal Cancer Health Equity Dream Team, to discuss the latest data on colorectal cancer disparities, including the factors driving these trends and the importance of early detection. Read BDO article
VIDEO: 'We all need to be concerned' about consequences of inequity in health care
In a video exclusive, Healio’s Health Equity Award winner Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, discusses the importance of a collective, nationwide effort to recognize health care disparities and support disadvantaged populations. Watch Healio Gastroenterology video
Push to #PrioritizeCRC: Advocacy group rallies to expand colorectal cancer screening
Every March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is celebrated to raise awareness of the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. This year, the Fight CRC advocacy group is pushing Congress to prioritize cancer screening policies. Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, emphasizes the importance of educating patients about colorectal cancer risk and screening all individuals at the “right age and at the right interval.” Read Healio Gastroenterology article
Princess Catherine’s global celebrity and acknowledgment of her cancer, experts said, could shine a light on a troubling rise in certain cancers among people under 50
“We need to focus on the messaging that young people need to be aware they are also at risk,” said Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, a cancer researcher at UCLA Health and a board member of the nonprofit Fight Colorectal Cancer. “It’s not only older people anymore,” she said. Experts point out that overall cancer mortality has dropped significantly in recent years, reflecting improved treatment and screening. But the progress against cancer has been uneven. In the United States, the rise in mortality from some cancers has contributed to a decade-long erosion in life expectancy driven primarily by chronic disease. The global incidence of cancers among younger people increased by nearly 80 percent between 1990 and 2019, according to a study published in BMJ Oncology. In the United States, one study by American Cancer Society researchers found that detections of six of 12 cancers related to obesity — including colorectal, uterine, gallbladder, kidney and pancreatic — jumped significantly in young adults between 1995 and 2014, with steeper rises in successively younger generations. Read The Washington Post article. (subscription required)
How a new stool test may help reduce colorectal cancer deaths
According to a new study published in The Lancet Oncology, a new stood test could offer improved detection of precursors to colorectal cancer. Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, director of the Melvin and Bren Simon GI Quality Improvement Program, provided expert commentary in this Medical News Today article.
Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, interviewed by ABC News on the troubling increase in colon and breast cancer in younger adults
Death rates from cancer have declined by 33% since 1991, averting 4.1 million deaths. However, more people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before, and at earlier ages, according to a major new report from the American Cancer Society. Especially concerning is the rising number of deaths of young people from colon cancer. Oncologists say that the colon cancer trends in the U.S. are matched by other high-income countries and say it's possible the increase could be due to lifestyles or environmental exposures for younger generations. Environmental factors, such as exposure to chemicals in foods and in the air, and other currently unidentified factors, such as the recent legalization of cannabis and increased cannabis use, can't be ruled out as risk factors. "There are studies that even show that risk factors like whether or not you were breastfed, whether or not you had antibiotics at a high rate as a child -- that these factors might be predicting your chances of getting cancer when you're an adult," said Dr. Fola May, gastroenterologist and researcher at UCLA Health. Read full ABC News story