#121 - Azra Raza, M.D.: Why we're losing the war on cancer

The Peter Attia Drive

Peter Attia, MD

Fitness, Medicine, Health & Fitness

4.3 • 9K Ratings

🗓️ 27 July 2020

⏱️ 115 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Azra Raza is a physician, scientist, author, and outspoken advocate for reconfiguring the current model of research in cancer. In this episode, Azra discusses the content of her book, The First Cell, which takes a critical look at the outdated models being used to study cancer resulting in a lack of progress in survival rates for cancer patients. Azra offers a solution which focuses on early detection and prevention, and she concludes with an optimistic outlook for the future of cancer research.

We discuss:

Azra's upbringing, interest in oncology, and the basis for writing her book [3:30];
The lack of progress in cancer treatment over the decades [18:45];
What is holding the oncology field back? [33:15];
Do the purported advances in oncology reflect the billions of dollars spent on cancer research? [40:00];
Economics of new cancer drugs—how small increases in survival come with staggering financial burdens [47:00];
How good intentions can still lead to misaligned incentives and a broken system [1:03:00];
Why 95% of new cancer drugs fail—a critical review of the cancer research model [1:11:15];
Early detection and prevention—a potential solution to the cancer problem [1:22:30];
Coping with the loss of her husband to cancer [1:46:00];
Azra's optimistic view of the future [1:49:30]; and
More.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, welcome to the Drive Podcast.
0:13.0	I'm your host, Peter Atia.
0:14.8	This podcast, my website, and my weekly newsletter, all focus on the goal of translating
0:18.7	the science of longevity into something accessible for everyone.
0:22.4	Our goal is to provide the best content in health and wellness, full stop, and we've
0:26.6	assembled a great team of analysts to make this happen.
0:29.4	If you enjoy this podcast, we've created a membership program that brings you far more
0:33.2	in-depth content if you want to take your knowledge of the space to the next level.
0:37.3	At the end of this episode, I'll explain what those benefits are, or if you want to learn
0:41.0	more now, head over to peteratiamd.com forward slash subscribe.
0:46.3	Now without further delay, here's today's episode.
0:49.0	I guess this week is Dr. Ezra Raza.
0:53.5	Dr. Raza is a professor of medicine and the director of the MDS Center at Columbia
0:59.4	University in New York.
1:00.8	She is a practicing oncologist and a cancer researcher who has been published in over 300
1:05.9	peer review manuscripts.
1:07.5	She grew up in the tentative medical school in Pakistan before moving to the United States
1:10.3	for her clinical training, which we discuss briefly.
1:13.3	She's an expert in myelotisplastic syndrome, which is a former pre-lukemiah and acute myeloid
1:18.6	leukemia AML.
1:20.1	She's recipient of a number of wards, including the 2012 Hope Award in Cancer Research, which
1:27.0	she shared with Nobel laureate, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn.
	...

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