Watch the full episode and view show notes here: https://bit.ly/3YBy1ti Become a member to receive exclusive content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Keith Flaherty is the director of clinical research at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and a previous guest on The Drive. In this episode, Keith first delves into the statistics on cancer's prevalence as we age, underscoring the significance of finding effective treatments and early detection methodologies. He touches on the history of cancer therapeutics and illuminates the notable enhancements in cancer therapy within the last decade that are setting the stage for a promising future. He goes into detail on the potential of immunotherapy and therapies that can combat cancer’s evasive tactics while explaining some of the existing challenges around specificity, cost, and scalability. Additionally, Keith highlights the significant leap in early detection methodologies, namely liquid biopsies, which have the potential not only to determine if a cancer is present in an early stage, but also identify the possible tissue of origin. We discuss: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:00:40 - Keith’s interest and expertise in cancer 0:04:55 - Cancer deaths by decade of life, and how cancer compares to other top causes of death 0:10:33 - The relationship between hormones and cancer 0:18:42 - The link between obesity and cancer 0:23:40 - Current state of treatments for metastatic cancer and reasons for the lack of progress over the decades 0:35:19 - The interplay between the immune system and cancer cells 0:44:29 - Different ways cancer can suppress the immune response, and how immunotherapy can combat cancer’s evasive tactics 0:59:30 - Elimination of a substantial portion of cancers through immune cell engineering faces challenges of specificity, cost, and scalability 1:10:15 - Why TIL therapy isn’t always effective, and the necessity for multimodal therapy to address various aspects of the cancer microenvironment 1:31:49 - The challenge of treating metastatic cancer underscores the importance of early detection to improve survivability 1:38:36 - Liquid biopsies for early detection of cancer and determining the possible tissue of origin 1:49:21 - Commercially available cancer screening tests 1:57:21 - How to address the disparity in cancer care, and the exciting pace of progress for cancer detection and treatment -------- About: The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing longevity, and all that goes into that from physical to cognitive to emotional health. With over 70 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their healthspan. Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. No doctor-patient relationship is formed. The use of this information and the materials linked to this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content on this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they have, and they should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. I take conflicts of interest very seriously. For all of my disclosures and the companies I invest in or advise, please visit my website where I keep an up-to-date and active list of such companies. For a full list of our registered and unregistered trademarks, trade names, and service marks, please review our Terms of Use: https://peterattiamd.com/terms-of-use/