Can a simple test detect multiple cancer all at once? The New York Times reports that in the spring of 2021, this idea had first came into being, where a simple test could detect different cancer including those that do not have any regular screening. Now, the buzz is even louder around that. The test is called Galleri, and data suggest that its performance has improved.

Many companies are racing to develop this multi-cancer early-detection blood test and while none are yet approved by the federal regulators, people are already demanding for it. They cost hundreds of dollars.

The company that manufactures Galleri, GRAIL, said that a total of 420,000 tests had been prescribed so far, which shows a surge from 180,000 as of March 31, 2024. The company is also planning to apply for approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), next year. It is also seeking that Medicare would cover the tests.

What Does The Research On This New Cancer Detection Test Say?

While the demand is there, the research on it is limited. Cristian Tomasetti, the director of the Center for Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Monitoring at City of Hope, a cancer center in Southern California told the NYT, "It feels like the airplane is being built while flying."

Most of the available evidence so far comes from studies conducted by GRAIL and other test developers. In GRAIL’s latest study, nearly 99 percent of the around 23,000 people screened using the Galleri test received a negative result. However, 40 percent of positive findings were later found to be false, and the test detected only 40 percent of cancers that were diagnosed within a year, missing the remaining 60 percent.

Case Study

The idea behind this test is that when cancer is detected earlier, it is easier to treat. Dr. Elizabeth O’Donnell, who heads a multi-cancer early detection clinic at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston described the experience as doing something truly meaningful for a patient, particularly when the cancer involved has no established screening test.

That possibility became real for William Hill, a 56-year-old firefighter from Brockton, Massachusetts, who took the Galleri blood test last year during a firefighters’ conference. Firefighters are often exposed to carcinogens while on duty. His blood sample was sent to a North Carolina laboratory, where scientists analyzed fragments of DNA for patterns that could indicate cancer and identify its likely origin.

Two weeks later, the result came back: a cancer signal had been detected.

Hill said he initially hoped the finding was a mistake, especially since he had already been treated for testicular cancer in the past. Further testing at Dana-Farber, including an abdominal CT scan, confirmed metastatic testicular cancer, and treatment began right away.

Looking back, Hill realized that symptoms he had brushed off, such as back pain and frequent urination, were caused by a tumor pressing against his kidney. At the time, he had attributed them to aging and the physical demands of his job.

While it remains unclear whether the test ultimately changed his long-term prognosis, Hill believes it prompted earlier treatment. He said that without the test, he likely would not have suspected cancer and might have delayed care, allowing the tumor to grow further.

Stories like Hill’s point to the promise of multi-cancer blood tests. However, there is still no solid evidence that they reduce cancer-related deaths. Such proof exists for screenings like breast, cervical, colon, and lung cancer, based on large randomized trials conducted over many years.

"You are 35; you are healthy. It is probably a panic attack," said Kristina Auwarter, as reports SELF Magazine, when she first felt a throbbing pain in her chest when she was picking her son up from his crib. There was nothing to be worried about she thought because she had been working out, her blood work was fine. She thought it was just a heartburn and popped Tums. Had it not been her sister who was home that day, she wouldn't have called 9-1-1. When she reached at the hospital, she learned what she had was a heart attack. She learned that she had a total blockage in the largest of the three arteries that feed the heart.

She is far from someone who would get a heart attack. However, a 2018 study published in AHA|ASA Journals show that there had been a surge in younger patients, under 54 for heart attack between 1995 and 2004, and it has led to a 10% jump among women being hospitalized for the same, while the proportion of men remained the same. Another 2019 research by the American College of Cardiology reported that people under age of 50 were reporting more heart attacks, and the number had jumped to 2% each year from 2000 to 2016.

For women, the long-term impact of a heart attack at a young age is often more severe. Multiple studies show that younger women are less likely than men to receive timely tests and appropriate treatments, and are more likely to be re-hospitalized or die later from heart disease.

Are Younger Women More Prone To Heart Attack?

Hormonal conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can accelerate risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and elevated blood sugar. All of them could fuel plaque buildup in the arteries. This has become even more common due to less nutritious diets and increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

While these are some of the traditional risk factors, non-traditional risk factors often disproportionately affect young women. These include adverse pregnancy outcomes such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes. Rates of pregnancy-related high blood pressure have doubled over the past two decades, while gestational diabetes has climbed by roughly 30%, trends likely tied to worsening pre-pregnancy health and lifestyle shifts that are not particularly heart-friendly.

The matter of the fact is that for the longest these conditions were viewed as temporary problems, confined to pregnancy. The assumption was, one a person delivered, the dangers passed, however, it is not the case. There are numerous research that suggest that these complications can double and even more than double the risk of future cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack. Scientists have suspected that they may either reveal an underlying vulnerability to heart disease or trigger lasting inflammation or damage to blood vessels.

Mental health is another underappreciated piece of the puzzle. Women are about twice as likely as men to experience mental health conditions, and that disparity carries heart-related consequences. SELF reports that women with depression face a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than men with the same diagnosis, and psychological distress appears to raise future heart risk in women but not men. Researchers believe women may experience more intense mental health symptoms or a stronger biological stress response, which could translate into greater strain on the heart over time.

Autoimmune diseases add yet another layer of risk. These conditions, which are roughly twice as common in women, are characterized by chronic inflammation. Over years, that inflammation can damage the lining of blood vessels, quietly increasing the likelihood of a heart attack.

The biggest issue is that many of these atypical risk factors are not included in the standard tools doctors use to estimate heart attack risk. As a result, opportunities to intervene early are often missed, particularly in younger women. In one study of 3,500 young people who experienced a heart attack, women were significantly less likely than men to recall a doctor ever discussing their heart disease risk.

This gap in awareness carries over to diagnosis and treatment. Because heart attacks are still widely stereotyped as an older man’s problem, young women may not recognize what is happening when symptoms appear, even when those symptoms include classic chest pain. At the same time, the message that women often have “different” heart attack symptoms can backfire, leading some to dismiss chest discomfort altogether. Both things can be true: chest pain or pressure remains the most common symptom across sexes, but women are also more likely to experience additional, less typical signs.

These can include pain or tightness anywhere from the jaw to the abdomen, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, unusual fatigue, or a vague sense that something just isn’t right. For many women, the sensation is not dramatic or crushing, just unfamiliar, which makes it easier to ignore. Combine that with the reality that women’s symptoms are more likely to be downplayed or attributed to anxiety or stress, and delays in seeking care become almost inevitable. Research cited by SELF even shows women are more likely to call an ambulance for a male partner than for themselves.

Why Is The Diagnosis Trickier In Women?

Diagnosis becomes even trickier when a heart attack is triggered by something other than the classic plaque buildup in the arteries—a scenario that appears to be far more common in younger women. A 2025 Mayo Clinic study found that more than half of heart attacks in women under 65 were caused by nontraditional mechanisms such as blood clots traveling to the heart, artery spasms, or spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), compared with about a quarter of cases in men. SCAD, in particular, overwhelmingly affects women.

Doctors are still unraveling why these atypical heart attacks skew female, but theories point to a mix of genetics, differences in blood vessel structure, hormonal fluctuations, and the effects of intense physical or emotional stress. Because these events are not driven by plaque, they can strike women who have none of the classic risk factors, making them easier to miss and harder to diagnose in time.

Weight-loss jabs, or GLP-1 receptor agonists, have provided many people with results that diets alone could not achieve. For those struggling with constant cravings, these medications have quieted the persistent “food noise” that often drives overeating. They have transformed not only body shapes but also self-confidence and daily habits.

Yet questions remain: can people safely stop taking these drugs, and what happens to the body when they do? These are still largely unknown, as the drugs are relatively new. GLP-1s mimic a natural hormone that controls hunger, but the long-term effects are only beginning to be understood. Additionally, for the estimated 1.5 million people in the UK paying privately for these injections, maintaining treatment can be costly.

Two women, Tanya and Ellen, share their personal experiences with the BBC on weight-loss jabs and what life was like when they attempted to stop.

Weight Loss Jabs: Tanya Hall’s Experience

Tanya, a sales manager in the fitness industry, initially started taking Wegovy to challenge her own perceptions about weight and authority. She often felt overlooked or undervalued because of her size, and hoped that losing weight would change how others treated her, as per BBC.

Early in treatment, Tanya experienced side effects including nausea, headaches, sleep issues, and hair loss, which she describes as clumps coming out. Despite this, she steadily lost weight—six stone (38 kg) over 18 months—and the injections quieted the relentless urge to eat.

However, every time she tried to stop, her appetite surged within days, leaving her horrified at her own eating. Now, Tanya continues the medication, feeling it has become essential to maintaining her weight and the confidence it brings.

Weight Loss Jabs: What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Taking Them?

Wegovy’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, stresses that treatment decisions should be made with medical guidance and that side effects must be considered. Lifestyle GP Dr. Hussain Al-Zubaidi likens stopping GLP-1s abruptly to being hit by a “tsunami” of hunger.

Research shows that within one to three years of stopping these medications, people can regain 60–80% of the weight they lost. This highlights how these drugs work not just by reducing appetite temporarily but by fundamentally altering hunger cues.

Weight Loss Jabs: Ellen Ogley’s Journey

Ellen turned to Mounjaro after reaching a critical point in her life. Her weight had put her at risk during surgery, and emotional binge eating dominated her daily habits. Once on the medication, Ellen noticed her compulsive eating completely stopped.

Over 16 weeks, she lost 3 st 7 lb (22 kg) and began tapering off the injections over six weeks. She focused on developing a healthier relationship with food, creating balanced meals, and incorporating exercise into her routine. Despite some weight creep after stopping, she has since lost a total of 51 kg and now feels confident her habits are sustainable.

Weight Loss Jabs: The Importance of Support

Dr. Al-Zubaidi emphasizes that exiting GLP-1 treatment safely requires guidance and long-term support. NICE recommends at least a year of tailored advice after stopping injections to help individuals maintain their weight and prevent relapse, as per BBC.

For patients paying privately, such structured support may not always be available, increasing the risk of regaining weight. Lifestyle, mindset, and environmental factors play a significant role in long-term outcomes.

Tanya has chosen to continue with her medication, aware of the pros and cons, while Ellen has closed that chapter and built a sustainable routine for life after Mounjaro.

Weight-loss jabs can dramatically change appetite and body weight, but stopping them can be challenging. The transition off these drugs requires careful planning, support, and lifestyle adjustments. As Tanya and Ellen’s experiences show, the journey varies by individual, and long-term strategies are essential to maintaining health and weight loss results.

Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, states that patient safety is its top priority and that it continually monitors and reports information on treatment outcomes to regulators and prescribers.

Flu Symptoms: Seasonal infections are spreading across the United States just as the holiday travel rush gets underway, worrying health officials about fresh spikes during family get-togethers. Flu and norovirus cases are rising in several states, while COVID-19 continues to circulate at lower but consistent levels. Together, these illnesses are adding strain on hospitals as millions of people plan to travel in the days ahead.

Flu: What Is Super Flu?

“Super flu” is not a clinical term, but it is often used to describe a flu season that feels more aggressive or spreads faster than usual. This is typically linked to a dominant strain of influenza A. The current surge is being driven by a mutated influenza A strain known as H3N2 subclade K. Health officials say this strain has become the leading flu variant in the US, accounting for roughly 89 percent of H3N2 samples analysed since late September, according to genetic sequencing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This variant emerged after the 2025–26 flu vaccine was formulated, meaning the vaccine may not be as closely matched as in earlier seasons. While the shot still offers protection against severe disease, experts note that the mismatch could allow the virus to spread more easily.

Flu Symptoms 2025: What Symptoms Should People Watch For?

The symptoms seen in the current flu wave are largely familiar. People may develop fever, chills, extreme tiredness, cough, and body aches. Doctors, however, caution that the wider spread could result in more serious cases, particularly among people who are at higher risk.

CDC estimates indicate that the US has already seen about 4.6 million flu cases this season, along with nearly 49,000 hospital admissions and around 1,900 deaths. Flu activity increased sharply in mid-December, with test positivity jumping from 8.1 percent to 14.3 percent within a single week.

Flu Symptoms 2025: How To Reduce The Risk

Doctors recommend staying home when feeling unwell, washing hands often, especially to limit norovirus spread, and considering vaccination against flu and COVID-19. Even when the strain match is not ideal, experts stress that vaccines remain crucial in reducing the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation, and death.

Flu Cases In The US: How Contagious Is Superflu?

In terms of how easily it spreads, it behaves much like regular flu, which is known to be highly contagious.

Someone with flu can pass on the virus from around one day before symptoms appear and continue to be contagious for five to seven days after becoming sick. Children, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems may remain infectious for a longer period.

The virus mainly spreads through respiratory droplets released when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks, or breathes near others. It can also spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, followed by touching the mouth, nose, or eyes. Crowded indoor settings, poor airflow, and close contact make transmission far more likely, which explains why flu spreads quickly during peak season.

What makes a so-called “super flu” seem more contagious is not a new way of spreading, but higher case numbers, quicker community transmission, and stronger symptoms, all of which increase coughing, fever, and the amount of virus released.