New Research on Cancer Unveiled at Digestive Disease Week

SAN DIEGO, CA — At Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025, held from May 3 to 6, a series of groundbreaking studies captivated the medical community, shedding new light on the intersection of artificial intelligence, gastrointestinal oncology, endoscopic techniques, and colonoscopy preparation protocols. This annual gathering remains the preeminent global forum where researchers, clinicians, and academics converge to explore and present cutting-edge advances in gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy, and gastrointestinal surgery. This year’s symposium featured nearly 6,000 abstracts, with several focused on improving cancer care, patient communication, and procedural efficiency.

One of the most striking presentations revealed that artificial intelligence (AI), specifically large-language models like ChatGPT, can outperform human physicians in addressing patients’ questions about gastrointestinal cancers. The study evaluated responses to real patient inquiries drawn from Reddit’s AskDocs forum, an open social media platform where patients seek medical advice. Twelve board-certified oncologists judged AI-generated versus physician-generated responses based on quality, empathy, and readability. Remarkably, ChatGPT’s answers were preferred nearly 80% of the time, scoring markedly higher in quality and empathetic tone. This finding spotlights the growing potential of AI to enhance patient engagement and communication in oncology settings.

The methodology of this AI study involved a detailed qualitative assessment. Oncologists rated AI responses as significantly superior in informational quality, with 80% of answers meeting high standards compared to just 35% of physician replies. Moreover, 82% of AI-generated answers were deemed empathetic, contrasting sharply with 18% for physicians. Despite these advantages, the AI outputs were found to be somewhat harder to comprehend based on the Flesch Reading Ease Score, which quantifies text readability. This suggests that while AI can convey nuanced medical information and emotional support, ongoing refinement is necessary to optimize accessibility for diverse patient populations.

Another pivotal study presented at DDW 2025 addressed the evolving treatment landscape for benign colorectal polyps. Traditionally, patients with non-cancerous polyps detected during colonoscopy often underwent surgical resection, a more invasive approach carrying higher risks. Researchers analyzed health data encompassing over one million patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2023, tracking shifts in treatment modalities and outcomes nationwide. They observed a near tripling in the use of endoscopic polypectomy techniques—from 0.26% to 0.67%—while surgical resections concurrently declined from 0.45% to 0.35%. This transition reflects the scaling adoption of less invasive procedures that promise improved safety and reduced recovery times.

The large-scale observational analysis further demonstrated that the increase in endoscopic removal of polyps corresponded with a significant reduction in serious complications and a lower 30-day mortality rate. These outcomes point toward enhanced patient safety and underscore the transformative impact of technical advancements in endoscopy. The findings emphasize the importance of disseminating expertise in endoscopic techniques, potentially leading to new clinical guidelines that favor endoscopic management whenever feasible, thereby sparing patients from the morbidity of surgery.

In a related advancement, DDW 2025 also challenged the long-held dogma surrounding fasting before colonoscopy preparation. The longstanding clinical protocol dictates that patients fast strictly in the hours leading up to bowel cleansing to ensure optimal colon visibility and reduce aspiration risk. However, a randomized controlled trial involving 525 patients evaluated the effect of consuming a low-fiber meal just two hours before initiating split-dose polyethylene glycol bowel prep. Astonishingly, 81.4% of patients who ate the meal achieved optimal bowel cleansing, nearly mirroring the 83.6% success rate in the fasting cohort.

The trial’s data suggested no compromise in bowel preparation quality or patient comfort due to this modified protocol. Patient tolerance and acceptance were comparable between groups, indicating that relaxing dietary restrictions prior to colonoscopy could enhance patient experience without sacrificing procedural efficacy. These findings may prompt a paradigm shift in colonoscopy prep, allowing for greater flexibility and adherence to dietary instructions, potentially improving overall screening rates and patient compliance.

The implications of this body of research extend across multiple facets of gastrointestinal healthcare. The AI study heralds a new era where sophisticated language models might act as adjunct tools in patient education, triage, and support, especially in oncology where emotional reassurance is critical. Meanwhile, evolving endoscopic practices reflect the maturation of minimally invasive techniques, demonstrating tangible benefits in safety and outcomes. Lastly, re-examining entrenched clinical protocols around colonoscopy preparation exemplifies the continuous refinement of standard care based on robust clinical evidence.

Digestive Disease Week® continues to be a critical platform where emergent research prompts reassessment of established medical practices and stimulates innovation. The convergence of artificial intelligence with clinical gastroenterology and surgical optimization signals exciting future directions. The anticipation now lies in how these insights will be integrated into real-world clinical workflows, guidelines, and patient care models to maximize impact.

Taken together, these studies from DDW 2025 illuminate an evolving GI landscape where technology and evidence-based modifications converge to enhance patient outcomes and experience. The promising role of AI in patient communication, alongside less invasive therapeutic approaches and more patient-friendly procedural preparation regimens, captures the dynamic nature of contemporary gastrointestinal medicine. As practitioners and researchers digest these findings, widespread dissemination and application hold the potential to transform cancer care and colonoscopy practices on a global scale.

This year’s DDW spotlight on cancer-related gastroenterology research is especially timely given ongoing efforts to improve early detection, reduce intervention morbidity, and elevate patient engagement through empathetic communication. The synergy between AI advancements and clinical innovation in endoscopy and prep protocols embodies the forward momentum necessary for healthcare evolution. Stakeholders—ranging from clinicians to technologists and policy makers—are now tasked with ensuring that these compelling data translate into meaningful improvements that patients can readily access and benefit from.

In summary, Digestive Disease Week 2025 showcased transformative research illuminating the future of gastrointestinal cancer care, procedural safety, and patient communication. Artificial intelligence, minimally invasive endoscopic techniques, and flexible colonoscopy preparation protocols have all demonstrated their promise in enhancing outcomes across the patient journey. The medical community eagerly awaits further validation and broad implementation of these findings to redefine standards of care in gastroenterology and oncology.

Subject of Research: Artificial intelligence in patient communication, endoscopic management of benign colorectal polyps, and colonoscopy preparation protocols
Article Title: AI Outperforms Physicians in GI Cancer Communication as Endoscopic Techniques and Prep Protocols Evolve: Highlights from Digestive Disease Week® 2025
News Publication Date: May 6, 2025
Web References: https://ddw.org/www.ddw.org
Keywords: Cancer, Gastroenterology, Colon cancer, Cancer screening, Artificial intelligence, Colorectal cancer

Tags: AI versus physician responsesartificial intelligence in oncologycolonoscopy preparation protocolsDigestive Disease Week 2025empathetic communication in medicineendoscopic techniques advancementsgastrointestinal cancer researchgroundbreaking studies in gastroenterologyimproving procedural efficiency in gastroenterologylarge language models in healthcareoncology patient engagement strategiespatient communication in cancer care