Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

• “Do the advances really reflect the quarter of a trillion dollars we’ve invested in research?” – Dr. Azra Raza
• We have spent a lot of money and made limited progress but by any objective metric the return on investment in cancer research has been paltry – it’s time to try something else  
• We have falsely become convinced of a paradigm that we just have to find the right cocktail of drugs for each type of cancer  
• Medicine has perfected the art of prolonging disease
• “We are living in an era of the most sophisticated technological advances possible, and yet the treatment of cancer is paleolithic.” – Dr. Azra Raza
• We need to refocus our energy into what has worked: Early detection
• “Mark my words, the coming decade of 2020-2030 will see this shift from treating disease to trying to detect early and prevent the disease from becoming established.” – Dr. Azra Raza

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org



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 In this episode, Azra discusses the content of her book, The First Cell, which takes a critical look at the outdated models being used to study cancer resulting in a lack of progress in survival rates for cancer patients.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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