A 7,000-patient observational trial at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre has begun collecting blood samples to determine whether a liquid biopsy can detect microscopic tumour DNA after treatment ends. Lead investigator Dr Lillian Siu says smaller studies worldwide have already shown that cancer DNA can appear in the blood in quantities too small for CT scans to identify, and that patients with a positive molecular residual disease signal have a very high chance of recurrence. The SHERLOCK trial, which will follow patients for at least five years, aims to establish whether the test’s predictive power holds across multiple cancer types and whether a negative result can spare patients further chemotherapy or radiation.

At the same time, the sports supplement creatine is being examined for two distinct medical roles. A review of five randomised clinical trials involving 238 people with depression or bipolar disorder, reported by Iranian media, found that adding creatine to an antidepressant or cognitive behavioural therapy improved symptoms in two major depressive disorder studies, though three other trials—including one in bipolar disorder—showed no benefit. Separately, UCLA scientists have published mouse-model research in iScience showing that daily creatine injections slowed melanoma tumour growth and energised dendritic cells, the sentinels that direct killer T-cells to attack cancer. The team, led by Professor Lili Yang, describes creatine as a rechargeable battery for immune cells, but stresses the findings are preclinical and no dietary recommendations can yet be drawn.

A retrospective analysis of more than 12,000 patients presented at the ASCO congress suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonists—the class behind weight-loss pens—may also influence cancer progression. Brazilian oncologist Paulo Henrique Costa notes the data indicate a significant reduction in metastasis for non-small cell lung, breast, colorectal and liver cancers among patients using liraglutide, semaglutide or similar drugs, compared with those on other antidiabetics. Researchers hypothesise both an indirect effect via obesity control and a possible direct action on tumour-cell receptors, but Costa cautions that retrospective studies carry less statistical weight than randomised trials and that an unregulated parallel market for these drugs raises safety concerns.

Viewed from North American research centres, the common thread is a push to subject widely available interventions to the rigour of large, prospective studies. The SHERLOCK trial is observational, not interventional, and its results will need confirmation in further trials before liquid biopsies become standard of care. The creatine-depression review’s authors call for larger and longer studies before recommending the supplement as a treatment. The UCLA team acknowledges their cancer findings are limited to cells and mice. And the GLP-1 data, while intriguing, remain retrospective and indirect. The next factual milestones will be the completion of SHERLOCK’s five-year follow-up and the launch of randomised trials for creatine and GLP-1 drugs in oncology, which researchers say are essential before any clinical shift.