Dr. Peter Attia

Let's spend a minute just on the brain, because I guess that's sort of a unique case. I know it's not where you are. Still do a lot of it. Oh, you do?

Let's spend a minute just on the brain, because I guess that's sort of a unique case. I know it's not where you are. Still do a lot of it. Oh, you do?

Okay. Not as much as prostate and breast, but yeah, both primary and metastatic. Yeah. So again, because the brain is such a sink for mets, A, it's a source of a lot of primaries, but it's also where a lot of cancer spreads. It's often a place where you can't operate. either because the tumor, the met or the primary is too close to, say, the brainstem or something too vital.

Okay. Not as much as prostate and breast, but yeah, both primary and metastatic. Yeah. So again, because the brain is such a sink for mets, A, it's a source of a lot of primaries, but it's also where a lot of cancer spreads. It's often a place where you can't operate. either because the tumor, the met or the primary is too close to, say, the brainstem or something too vital.

So radiation is a pretty common tool there. So talk about the history of radiation in the brain. Sure. And the spectrum of everything from whole brain radiation to gamma knife and stereotactic and all sorts of things in between.

So radiation is a pretty common tool there. So talk about the history of radiation in the brain. Sure. And the spectrum of everything from whole brain radiation to gamma knife and stereotactic and all sorts of things in between.

This is a staggering amount of radiation.

This is a staggering amount of radiation.

And just to be clear, do you need to use way more radiation because that's what you're delivering to the brain? Is this an example of where the sieverts and the gray are very different because you have to get through the skull?

And just to be clear, do you need to use way more radiation because that's what you're delivering to the brain? Is this an example of where the sieverts and the gray are very different because you have to get through the skull?

Doesn't that mean you need much more than 30 gray coming out of the machine?

Doesn't that mean you need much more than 30 gray coming out of the machine?

The bone doesn't do that much?

The bone doesn't do that much?

Do we know what the survival difference is for an unresectable glioblastoma with and without radiation?

Do we know what the survival difference is for an unresectable glioblastoma with and without radiation?

Why is this cancer unsurvivable?

Why is this cancer unsurvivable?

I find GBMs to be just such a frightening type of cancer. And I do wonder if it's going to require some sort of injectable immunotherapy or something. I think so. I just, you have to basically figure out a way to treat the brain systemically. You have to mechanically overcome the blood brain barrier and come up with some sort of systemic treatment for it.

I find GBMs to be just such a frightening type of cancer. And I do wonder if it's going to require some sort of injectable immunotherapy or something. I think so. I just, you have to basically figure out a way to treat the brain systemically. You have to mechanically overcome the blood brain barrier and come up with some sort of systemic treatment for it.