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In light of the results, the researchers say it is no longer appropriate for doctors to perform laparoscopic surgery to treat cervical cancer. “At this point, we would recommend only using open surgery to perform a radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer,” co-senior author Dr. Shohreh Shahabi, chief of gynecologic oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician, said in a statement.

Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a senior scientist in child health research at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said the findings are interesting because they raise “questions about factors such as antibiotics and medications that alter gut microbiome and can potentially influence other health conditions.” She was not involved with the study. But Gupta cautioned that for now the findings should only be viewed as an “important association.” More research will be needed “to truly understand cause and effect, as it is a complex condition influenced by many environmental, behavioral and genetic factors,” she said.

“An alternative explanation is that U.S. surgeons could have been less experienced with the minimally invasive procedure than with open surgery during the study period,” he said. The doctors involved agree their findings apply only to cervical cancer. “It is important to note these results are specific to cervical cancer, and minimally invasive surgery is still a great option for other surgeries and cancers,” said Dr. Shohreh Shahabi, chief of gynecological oncology atNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who worked on one study team.

If you’re worried about your contraception causing problems with getting pregnant, you can exhale. “In many ways, birth control can protect your fertility,” said Lauren Streicher, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and the founder and medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Health and Menopause. “For example, the reason the birth control pill works is because it’s a combination of estrogen and progestin, it gives your ovaries a rest and does the work for them,” she continued. “When on it, you have the right amounts of progesterone and estrogen and you don’t get abnormal buildup in the lining of the uterus. It also helps you avoid issues like polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and other conditions that can impact fertility.”

The study was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the nation’s most prestigious publications on medical science. Margul worked on the study as a medical student at Northwestern University. He earned his medical degree in May then started his medical residency at UCMC this summer. He’s working the overnight shift at the moment.

“That is quite a big deal,” says Masha Kocherginsky, an epidemiologist and co-author of the study. “These patients are early stage cancer patients, and the intent of surgical treatment is cure.”[…]Dr. Emma Barber at Northwestern says she now tells her patients about the choice they face. “I think increasingly that’s going to be open surgery for many women,” she says, “but there may still be a role for minimally invasive surgery in some patients.”

“At this point, we would recommend only using open surgery to perform a radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer,” said co-senior author Shohreh Shahabi, chief of gynecologic oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. When a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer, she often gets her uterus and cervix removed, an operation known as a radical hysterectomy.

While the study is interesting, it’s not clear how well it would apply to U.S. patients, said. Dr. Tarun Jain, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a fertility specialist at Northwestern Medicine. “I think it’s important to be aware that these findings might not be generalizable,” he said. “Another important point,” Jain said, is that while shorter interval between pregnancies was associated with higher risks for older women, “the risk was still relatively low.”

Diabetes affects millions of people, which means there are plenty of competitors in the space, including Amazon. “Many players are looking into that sandbox. It’s not only startups, but hospitals, insurance and large tech are beating that drum,” said Dr. Steve Xu, a dermatologist and medical director of Northwestern University’s Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics. “There are a lot companies who want to sell to employers to improve health. The employers are where the money is. That’s where the pain is. For these companies, it’s a rounding error compared to their overall health costs.”

A new study by Northwestern Medicine looks at a very specific aspect of that shooting: the amount of blood needed to treat victims, and the amount donated by the public. Their findings show that Las Vegas hospitals had adequate blood supplies to meet patient demand, and that 17 percent of blood donated after the shooting went to waste. “Even with the high volume of blood transfusions, in-hospital supplies and rapid supplementation from local blood suppliers met patient need in Las Vegas,” said Dr. Glenn Ramsey, medical director of the blood bank at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and professor of pathology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.