Description
March 10, 2026
CAP Comments to the New York State Department of Health
Evaluating the analytical performance of direct-to-consumer gut microbiome testing services
Colorectal cancer statistics, 2026
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Transcription
The CAP weighs in on New York State's proposal to change the role of histotechnologists. Home tests to measure gut health. Are they accurate? And what rising colorectal cancer rates among younger Americans mean for pathology? These stories and more, coming up next. This is Path News Network Daily Edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nick Lanyi. It's Tuesday, March 10th. New York State has proposed allowing histotechnologists to do more specimen processing with only minimal supervision. The CAP and the New York State Society of Pathologists oppose part of the proposed rule. They recommend that grossing or dissection of pathology specimens be conducted by these specialized lab workers only under direct supervision of a licensed pathologist. in line with existing state law and national standards. The CAP contends that macroscopic examination and dissection are highly complex procedures that directly influence diagnosis and patient treatment. The CAP plans to respond to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' recent request for information on potential regulatory changes under the Trump administration's CRUSH initiative. Crush. which stands for Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare, is intended to reduce healthcare fraud and waste. The RFI includes several topics related to laboratory testing. Changes to CMS rules could affect future coverage, payment, and documentation requirements for pathologists and laboratories. For years, wellness influencers have touted gut health as a key to overall well-being. Not surprisingly, consumers now spend more than $1 billion a year on home kits to test microbiome health. But do they work? Not so much. According to a new study published in Communications Biology, researchers used the same fecal sample to send three tests each to seven different testing companies. Despite using an identical sample, they got wildly different results, even in one case from the same company. The study concluded that home microbiome tests are mostly unreliable, for now. Finally, colorectal cancer incidence continues to decline among Americans 65 and over, but increase among younger Americans, especially those 20 to 49 years old, according to a new American Cancer Society report. Colorectal cancer is now the most common cancer-related cause of death among U.S. adults younger than 50. For some perspective on how this affects pathology, we spoke with Dr. Adam Booth, Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University and Medical Director of Anatomic Pathology at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in St. Louis.
Yeah, unfortunately, I will, you know... diagnose a patient in their 20s and 30s with colorectal cancer not too infrequently. It's scary, you know, concerning to see that. You don't want anybody to have that, but the younger cases, it's really worrisome.
Dr. Booth said pathologists need to shift their thinking away from assuming a younger patient is unlikely to have colorectal cancer.
Pathologists need to be aware and conscientious that, you know, no matter the age, we need to be looking for colon cancer or dysplasia in any of the biopsies. And in a younger patient, that may not be top of your differential. So it could be you may be thinking something more inflammatory, and then you may see some dysplasia or malignancy, of course. So you always have to have that in your mind and not rule it out just by age because we are increasingly seeing this in younger patients.
That's it for us today. Check your inbox for more news like this in the CAP's Advocacy Newsletter every Tuesday and our Weekly Edition Newsletter on Thursdays. We'll be back Wednesday at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of The Daily Edition. I'm Nick Lanyi. Have a wonderful day.
Description
March 10, 2026
CAP Comments to the New York State Department of Health
Evaluating the analytical performance of direct-to-consumer gut microbiome testing services
Colorectal cancer statistics, 2026
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Transcription
The CAP weighs in on New York State's proposal to change the role of histotechnologists. Home tests to measure gut health. Are they accurate? And what rising colorectal cancer rates among younger Americans mean for pathology? These stories and more, coming up next. This is Path News Network Daily Edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nick Lanyi. It's Tuesday, March 10th. New York State has proposed allowing histotechnologists to do more specimen processing with only minimal supervision. The CAP and the New York State Society of Pathologists oppose part of the proposed rule. They recommend that grossing or dissection of pathology specimens be conducted by these specialized lab workers only under direct supervision of a licensed pathologist. in line with existing state law and national standards. The CAP contends that macroscopic examination and dissection are highly complex procedures that directly influence diagnosis and patient treatment. The CAP plans to respond to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' recent request for information on potential regulatory changes under the Trump administration's CRUSH initiative. Crush. which stands for Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare, is intended to reduce healthcare fraud and waste. The RFI includes several topics related to laboratory testing. Changes to CMS rules could affect future coverage, payment, and documentation requirements for pathologists and laboratories. For years, wellness influencers have touted gut health as a key to overall well-being. Not surprisingly, consumers now spend more than $1 billion a year on home kits to test microbiome health. But do they work? Not so much. According to a new study published in Communications Biology, researchers used the same fecal sample to send three tests each to seven different testing companies. Despite using an identical sample, they got wildly different results, even in one case from the same company. The study concluded that home microbiome tests are mostly unreliable, for now. Finally, colorectal cancer incidence continues to decline among Americans 65 and over, but increase among younger Americans, especially those 20 to 49 years old, according to a new American Cancer Society report. Colorectal cancer is now the most common cancer-related cause of death among U.S. adults younger than 50. For some perspective on how this affects pathology, we spoke with Dr. Adam Booth, Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University and Medical Director of Anatomic Pathology at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in St. Louis.
Yeah, unfortunately, I will, you know... diagnose a patient in their 20s and 30s with colorectal cancer not too infrequently. It's scary, you know, concerning to see that. You don't want anybody to have that, but the younger cases, it's really worrisome.
Dr. Booth said pathologists need to shift their thinking away from assuming a younger patient is unlikely to have colorectal cancer.
Pathologists need to be aware and conscientious that, you know, no matter the age, we need to be looking for colon cancer or dysplasia in any of the biopsies. And in a younger patient, that may not be top of your differential. So it could be you may be thinking something more inflammatory, and then you may see some dysplasia or malignancy, of course. So you always have to have that in your mind and not rule it out just by age because we are increasingly seeing this in younger patients.
That's it for us today. Check your inbox for more news like this in the CAP's Advocacy Newsletter every Tuesday and our Weekly Edition Newsletter on Thursdays. We'll be back Wednesday at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of The Daily Edition. I'm Nick Lanyi. Have a wonderful day.
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Description
March 10, 2026
CAP Comments to the New York State Department of Health
Evaluating the analytical performance of direct-to-consumer gut microbiome testing services
Colorectal cancer statistics, 2026
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Transcription
The CAP weighs in on New York State's proposal to change the role of histotechnologists. Home tests to measure gut health. Are they accurate? And what rising colorectal cancer rates among younger Americans mean for pathology? These stories and more, coming up next. This is Path News Network Daily Edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nick Lanyi. It's Tuesday, March 10th. New York State has proposed allowing histotechnologists to do more specimen processing with only minimal supervision. The CAP and the New York State Society of Pathologists oppose part of the proposed rule. They recommend that grossing or dissection of pathology specimens be conducted by these specialized lab workers only under direct supervision of a licensed pathologist. in line with existing state law and national standards. The CAP contends that macroscopic examination and dissection are highly complex procedures that directly influence diagnosis and patient treatment. The CAP plans to respond to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' recent request for information on potential regulatory changes under the Trump administration's CRUSH initiative. Crush. which stands for Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare, is intended to reduce healthcare fraud and waste. The RFI includes several topics related to laboratory testing. Changes to CMS rules could affect future coverage, payment, and documentation requirements for pathologists and laboratories. For years, wellness influencers have touted gut health as a key to overall well-being. Not surprisingly, consumers now spend more than $1 billion a year on home kits to test microbiome health. But do they work? Not so much. According to a new study published in Communications Biology, researchers used the same fecal sample to send three tests each to seven different testing companies. Despite using an identical sample, they got wildly different results, even in one case from the same company. The study concluded that home microbiome tests are mostly unreliable, for now. Finally, colorectal cancer incidence continues to decline among Americans 65 and over, but increase among younger Americans, especially those 20 to 49 years old, according to a new American Cancer Society report. Colorectal cancer is now the most common cancer-related cause of death among U.S. adults younger than 50. For some perspective on how this affects pathology, we spoke with Dr. Adam Booth, Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University and Medical Director of Anatomic Pathology at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in St. Louis.
Yeah, unfortunately, I will, you know... diagnose a patient in their 20s and 30s with colorectal cancer not too infrequently. It's scary, you know, concerning to see that. You don't want anybody to have that, but the younger cases, it's really worrisome.
Dr. Booth said pathologists need to shift their thinking away from assuming a younger patient is unlikely to have colorectal cancer.
Pathologists need to be aware and conscientious that, you know, no matter the age, we need to be looking for colon cancer or dysplasia in any of the biopsies. And in a younger patient, that may not be top of your differential. So it could be you may be thinking something more inflammatory, and then you may see some dysplasia or malignancy, of course. So you always have to have that in your mind and not rule it out just by age because we are increasingly seeing this in younger patients.
That's it for us today. Check your inbox for more news like this in the CAP's Advocacy Newsletter every Tuesday and our Weekly Edition Newsletter on Thursdays. We'll be back Wednesday at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of The Daily Edition. I'm Nick Lanyi. Have a wonderful day.
Description
March 10, 2026
CAP Comments to the New York State Department of Health
Evaluating the analytical performance of direct-to-consumer gut microbiome testing services
Colorectal cancer statistics, 2026
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Transcription
The CAP weighs in on New York State's proposal to change the role of histotechnologists. Home tests to measure gut health. Are they accurate? And what rising colorectal cancer rates among younger Americans mean for pathology? These stories and more, coming up next. This is Path News Network Daily Edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nick Lanyi. It's Tuesday, March 10th. New York State has proposed allowing histotechnologists to do more specimen processing with only minimal supervision. The CAP and the New York State Society of Pathologists oppose part of the proposed rule. They recommend that grossing or dissection of pathology specimens be conducted by these specialized lab workers only under direct supervision of a licensed pathologist. in line with existing state law and national standards. The CAP contends that macroscopic examination and dissection are highly complex procedures that directly influence diagnosis and patient treatment. The CAP plans to respond to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' recent request for information on potential regulatory changes under the Trump administration's CRUSH initiative. Crush. which stands for Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare, is intended to reduce healthcare fraud and waste. The RFI includes several topics related to laboratory testing. Changes to CMS rules could affect future coverage, payment, and documentation requirements for pathologists and laboratories. For years, wellness influencers have touted gut health as a key to overall well-being. Not surprisingly, consumers now spend more than $1 billion a year on home kits to test microbiome health. But do they work? Not so much. According to a new study published in Communications Biology, researchers used the same fecal sample to send three tests each to seven different testing companies. Despite using an identical sample, they got wildly different results, even in one case from the same company. The study concluded that home microbiome tests are mostly unreliable, for now. Finally, colorectal cancer incidence continues to decline among Americans 65 and over, but increase among younger Americans, especially those 20 to 49 years old, according to a new American Cancer Society report. Colorectal cancer is now the most common cancer-related cause of death among U.S. adults younger than 50. For some perspective on how this affects pathology, we spoke with Dr. Adam Booth, Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University and Medical Director of Anatomic Pathology at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in St. Louis.
Yeah, unfortunately, I will, you know... diagnose a patient in their 20s and 30s with colorectal cancer not too infrequently. It's scary, you know, concerning to see that. You don't want anybody to have that, but the younger cases, it's really worrisome.
Dr. Booth said pathologists need to shift their thinking away from assuming a younger patient is unlikely to have colorectal cancer.
Pathologists need to be aware and conscientious that, you know, no matter the age, we need to be looking for colon cancer or dysplasia in any of the biopsies. And in a younger patient, that may not be top of your differential. So it could be you may be thinking something more inflammatory, and then you may see some dysplasia or malignancy, of course. So you always have to have that in your mind and not rule it out just by age because we are increasingly seeing this in younger patients.
That's it for us today. Check your inbox for more news like this in the CAP's Advocacy Newsletter every Tuesday and our Weekly Edition Newsletter on Thursdays. We'll be back Wednesday at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of The Daily Edition. I'm Nick Lanyi. Have a wonderful day.
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