Health
Lurking dementia risk exposed by breakthrough test 25 years before symptoms
Study finds link between obesity and vascular dementia
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss an increase in colon cancer in people under 50 despite an overall lowering cancer deaths and a new study linking obesity to vascular dementia.
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A new blood test could determine a woman’s dementia risk as early as 25 years before symptoms emerge.
That’s according to new research from the University of California San Diego, which found that a specific biomarker protein associated with early pathological processes of Alzheimer’s disease was “strongly linked” to future dementia risk.
The researchers analyzed blood samples from 2,766 participants in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study in the late 1990s, according to the study’s press release.
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The women ranged from 65 to 79 years of age and showed no signs of cognitive decline at the start of the study.
After tracking the participants for up to 25 years, the researchers concluded that the biomarker phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) was “strongly associated” with future mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
A new blood test could determine a woman’s dementia risk as early as 25 years before symptoms emerge. (iStock)
Women who had higher levels of p-tau217 at the beginning of the study were “much more likely” to develop the disease. The findings were published today in JAMA Network Open.
“The key takeaway is that our study suggests it may be possible to detect risk of dementia two decades in advance using a simple blood test in older women,” first author Aladdin H. Shadyab, a UC San Diego associate professor of public health and medicine, told Fox News Digital.
“These biomarkers may help us identify who is at greatest risk and develop strategies to delay or prevent dementia.”
“Our findings show that the blood biomarker p-tau217 could help identify individuals at higher risk for dementia long before symptoms begin,” he added.
This long lead time could open the door to earlier prevention strategies and more targeted monitoring, rather than waiting until memory problems are already affecting daily life, according to Shadyab.
A specific biomarker protein associated with early pathological processes of Alzheimer’s disease was “strongly linked” to future dementia risk. (iStock)
“As the research advances, these biomarkers may help us identify who is at greatest risk and develop strategies to delay or prevent dementia,” he said.
This risk relationship wasn’t the same across the board, however. Women over 70 with higher p-tau217 levels had “poorer cognitive outcomes” compared to those under 70, as did those with the APOE ε4 gene, which is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
The study also found that p-tau217 was a stronger predictor of dementia in women who were randomly assigned to receive estrogen and progestin hormone therapy compared to those who received a placebo.
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“Blood-based biomarkers like p-tau217 are especially promising because they are far less invasive and potentially more accessible than brain imaging or spinal fluid tests,” said senior author Linda K. McEvoy, senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and professor emeritus at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, in the release.
“Blood-based biomarkers like p-tau217 are especially promising because they are far less invasive and potentially more accessible than brain imaging or spinal fluid tests,” a researcher said. (iStock)
“This is important for accelerating research into the factors that affect the risk of dementia and for evaluating strategies that may reduce risk.”
Blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease are still being studied and are not recommended for routine screening in people without symptoms, Shadyab noted.
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More research is needed before this approach can be considered for clinical use prior to cognitive symptoms.
Future studies should investigate how other factors — like genetics, hormone therapy and age-related medical conditions — might interact with plasma p-tau217, the researchers added.
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“The study examined only older women, so the findings may not necessarily apply to men or younger populations,” Shadyab noted. “We also examined overall dementia outcomes rather than specific subtypes such as Alzheimer’s disease.”
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Health
Pancreatic cancer patient Ben Sasse sees ‘massive’ tumor reduction with experimental new drug
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Months after revealing his stage 4 cancer diagnosis, former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse is speaking out about an experimental therapy that could extend his life.
Sasse, a Republican who represented Nebraska between 2015 and 2023, shared in December 2025 that he has metastatic pancreatic cancer, which has spread to multiple organs — including his liver and lungs.
After initially being given three to four months to live, Sasse, 54, entered a clinical trial for a drug called daraxonrasib, an oral therapy (pill) that is designed to block the defective gene that triggers uncontrolled cellular growth.
CANCER SURVIVAL APPEARS TO DOUBLE WITH COMMON VACCINE, RESEARCHERS SAY
The California-based drugmaker, Revolution Medicines, recently shared data from a phase 3 clinical trial of people with metastatic pancreatic cancer who did not respond to standard chemotherapy.
Patients on the treatment lived a median of 13 months, compared to around six months for those who continued with chemo.
Former Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska entered a clinical trial for a drug called daraxonrasib, an oral therapy (pill) that is designed to block the defective gene that triggers uncontrolled cellular growth. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I have much, much less pain than I had four months ago when I was diagnosed, and I have a massive 76% reduction in tumor volume over the last four months,” Sasse told “60 Minutes” in a recent interview.
Daraxonrasib works by going after a key growth “switch” in many cancers called RAS, according to Sarbajit Mukherjee, M.D., chief of gastrointestinal medical oncology at Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida.
MAN WITH STAGE 4 CANCER RAISES $150K FOR EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT
“In pancreatic cancer, that switch is stuck in the ‘on’ position in the vast majority of tumors, constantly telling the cancer cells to grow and spread,” the doctor, who was not involved in the trial and did not treat Sasse, told Fox News Digital.
“Daraxonrasib is designed to bind to RAS in its active state and turn down that signal, which can slow or shrink the cancer.”
“The drug is in the final stages of clinical trials, where it has been shown to double the survival of those previously treated for metastatic pancreatic cancer.”
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose early because there are generally no symptoms — or only subtle gastrointestinal symptoms — until it is already widespread, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst.
“This is the first-of-its-kind targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer,” Siegel, who also was not involved in the research or the senator’s treatment, told Fox News Digital. “The drug is in the final stages of clinical trials, where it has been shown to double the survival of those previously treated for metastatic pancreatic cancer.”
Sasse, shown above, announced his diagnosis late last year. An expert noted that the survival boost seen from the clinical trial is a “big difference” for a disease that typically has much shorter survival times. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Mukherjee noted that the survival boost seen in the trial is a “big difference” for a disease that typically has much shorter survival times.
“From my perspective, as someone who treats pancreatic cancer every day, daraxonrasib is the first targeted pill in this disease that truly feels like a step change rather than a small incremental improvement,” he said.
“It opens the door to much more personalized strategies going forward. For a cancer where progress has been painfully slow, it could reshape how we care for patients with advanced disease.”
RECTAL CANCER DEATHS RISING UP TO THREE TIMES FASTER IN SPECIFIC AGE GROUP, STUDY FINDS
While current chemotherapy options can shrink pancreatic tumors and help people live longer, they are “tough,” Mukherjee noted — “and once they stop working, our options are limited and survival is usually measured in just a few more months.”
Early data also suggest that when daraxonrasib is combined with standard chemotherapy as the first treatment, there is more shrinkage of tumors and more patients doing well at six months than they typically would only with chemotherapy.
Sasse shared in December 2025 that he has metastatic pancreatic cancer, which has spread to multiple organs, including his liver and lungs. (Meghan McCarthy/Palm Beach Daily News/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
If the drug is approved, it will likely become an important option for patients when standard chemotherapy stops working, Mukherjee suggested.
“Ongoing trials are now asking whether it should also be used as part of the very first treatment plan,” he added.
NEW CANCER VACCINE SHOWS PROMISING RESULTS FOR CERTAIN PATIENTS
Although the drug is described as “well-tolerated” compared to chemotherapy, the doctor noted that, like any strong cancer drug, daraxonrasib has side effects.
“The ones we see most often include rash, diarrhea, mouth sores and fatigue, with patients needing regular blood tests and close follow‑up while on treatment,” Mukherjee said.
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In the clinical trials, most of these problems have been managed by adjusting the dose or adding supportive medications.
“The limitations are important to be transparent about — it is still not yet FDA‑approved, and it is not a cure,” Mukherjee noted.
In addition to the daraxonrasi, Sasse credits his faith for helping him beat his original prognosis. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“Over time, most cancers will eventually find ways to grow around the drug.”
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In addition to daraxonrasib, which he calls a “miracle” drug, Sasse credits his faith for helping him beat his original prognosis.
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“It’s weird to be in your early 50s and get a terminal diagnosis, and people all of a sudden act like you’re 93 or 94, and you have a lot of wisdom,” he said.
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“I don’t know that I have a lot of wisdom, but I have a lot of things that I think we should be reflecting on together.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Sasse for further comment, and to the head of the clinical trial as well.
The Supreme Court appeared divided on Monday during arguments in a dispute that could determine the fate of thousands of lawsuits that claim a widely used weedkiller causes cancer.
The case is the latest turn in a yearslong legal battle over safety concerns with the weedkiller Roundup. Developed by Monsanto in the 1970s, the herbicide is the focus of the lawsuits, which allege that it causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The dispute before the justices stems from a 2019 lawsuit brought by a Missouri gardener, John Durnell, who used Roundup for years. Mr. Durnell claimed in his suit, filed in state court, that glyphosate, a chemical in the weedkiller, caused him to develop cancer.
During Monday’s oral argument, several of the justices expressed skepticism of arguments by Bayer, the German conglomerate that acquired Monsanto in 2018, and the Trump administration, which joined the case in support of the company, that federal rules requiring herbicide safety labeling should bar people from filing state-level claims that accuse companies of failing to warn consumers of dangers.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. asked a lawyer for the Trump administration whether states would be blocked from taking action if new scientific information raised alarms about a product.
“The states cannot do anything?” the chief justice asked.
Sarah M. Harris, a principal deputy solicitor general, responded that it would be problematic to have each state “jumping the gun” to come to its own conclusion about whether a product caused cancer.
Mr. Durnell’s lawyer argued that the federal Environmental Protection Agency had overreached its regulatory power, a problem that could be rectified by giving a role to the courts, including at the state level. Several of the justices appeared skeptical about that argument too, questioning whether such a ruling would lead to a patchwork of safety regulations throughout the country.
In 2023, a Missouri jury awarded Mr. Durnell $1.25 million in damages. If the court finds for the company, that verdict would be erased and other claims against the company also endangered. If the court finds for Mr. Durnell, not only would his verdict be upheld but it would also clear the way for a flood of other lawsuits to proceed in courts throughout the country.
A ruling is expected by the end of June or early July.
The central issue in the case involves a collision between state and federal power. Bayer has argued that Mr. Durnell’s victory in Missouri is barred by a federal law, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. That statute requires herbicides to be registered with the E.P.A. before they can be sold. Companies must submit scientific and safety data to the agency, along with proposed label information, including safety warnings.
The E.P.A. has previously determined that Roundup is safe to use. Bayer argued that the Missouri court ruling conflicted with that federal determination. Paul D. Clement, who represented Bayer, asserted that the federal agency’s decision invalidates the state court decision.
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Bayer has also said it cannot add warnings to Roundup in any state because they would contradict the E.P.A.’s findings.
In a brief to the justices, lawyers for Bayer wrote that the E.P.A. had “repeatedly determined” that glyphosate does not cause cancer, asserting that the company would not be able to “unilaterally alter the label’s precautionary warnings to include a cancer warning.”
The company appealed the jury verdict in the Missouri case and, after the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld the trial court, asked the justices to weigh in.
Early this year, President Trump issued an executive order that cited the Defense Production Act to guarantee production of glyphosate-based herbicides, appearing to elevate Roundup to a national security priority.
Lawyers for Mr. Durnell argued that nothing in the federal law blocked Bayer from adding a cancer warning to its labels and that such a change would not require E.P.A. approval.
Mr. Durnell was represented by Ashley C. Keller and Jonathan F. Mitchell, a prominent conservative appellate lawyer who represented Mr. Trump in his successful 2024 bid to remain on the Colorado ballot. Both lawyers joined the Supreme Court case only in recent months.
Another lawyer, David C. Frederick, had initially filed briefs on Mr. Durnell’s behalf. In the weeks before the argument, Mr. Frederick asked the justices if he could participate in the argument on behalf of more than 11,500 other people whose claims would be affected by the court’s decision. The justices denied the request.
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