Ascending aortic hemiarch reconstruction offers the same long-term benefits to patients over age 65 with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) as more complex extended arch reconstruction procedures, according to a study presented today at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting.

A new study examined whether providing financial vouchers to offset medication costs, conditional on improved blood sugar levels, could enhance glycemic control. The results demonstrated that participants receiving these performance-based incentives achieved a significantly larger reduction in HbA1c levels compared to a control group, an improvement clinically comparable to adding a new pharmacological treatment. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that incorporating financial incentives into health insurance plans could serve as an effective, optional tool to improve health outcomes and equity for low-income populations.

Heart specialists at Mayo Clinic today presented new research at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting that redo surgery for adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) remains high-risk, and a clinically applicable national risk assessment model is needed to help patients and care teams make decisions about procedures.

Breakthrough research presented at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting shows that additional lymph node evaluation is needed during surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to accurately identify cancer spread.

Researchers at Brown University Health have identified a key molecular mechanism that may improve treatment for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of adult brain cancer. In a study published November 10 in Cell Reports, the team found that differences among cells within a single tumor play a major role in chemotherapy resistance and uncovered a small molecule, miR-181d, that helps regulate this variability. By stabilizing miR-181d levels, researchers were able to make tumor cells respond more uniformly to chemotherapy, potentially increasing its effectiveness. The discovery has already led to the development of a promising new gene-therapy–based approach aimed at improving outcomes for patients with glioblastoma.