In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. John Kisiel discuss early cancer detection using liquid biopsies. Dr. Kisiel explains that liquid biopsies detect cancer signals in blood and urine, including tumor cells, fragments, proteins, and DNA. He highlights the FDA's approval of a blood test for colon cancer and the development of multi-cancer early detection tests. Dr. Kisiel notes that false positive and false negative rates vary by test. He emphasizes the potential of liquid biopsies to complement, not replace, standard screening methods and the need for further validation and clinical trials.

Key Takeaways:

• Liquid biopsies have been used in the oncology community to test if cancer is still present, may need additional or more aggressive treatment, or if the cancer has come back.

• Each test will have its own false positive and false negative rate, partially based on where manufacturers set the thresholds for that positive/negative result.

• Peripheral blood-based tests for colon cancer do not detect polyps, and it's the finding and removing of polyps that actually offers the greatest preventive benefit, so that somebody never gets cancer in the first place.

"Another word of cautious optimism, I think that I, personally, and many other people active in the space really view these as an addition to standard of care cancer screening and not a replacement." — Dr. John Kisiel

Connect with Dr. John Kisiel:

Professional Bio: https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/kisiel-john-b-m-d/bio-00092659

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Some people live more than a hundred years with no health problems and very little cognitive decline. How come? While healthy lifestyles certainly play a part in healthy aging, these "centenarians" share a number of special biological attributes. Furthermore, these attributes, along with attaining an age of 100 or greater, show a strong genetic component. Dr. Stacy Andersen of the Boston University School of Medicine has been studying these centenarians and the factors that are associated with not only their attaining an advanced age, but also doing so with no history of major physical or mental health problems. In her interview, Dr. Andersen discusses what she and her colleagues have discovered about this unusual group of older people.

Key Takeaways:

• Centenarians are people who have reached 100 years of age, while "supercentenarians" are 110 and older.

• Recent studies of these groups of adults reveal that during their lives, they have "escaped" diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular problems, dementia, and diabetes that cause earlier mortality among adults born at the same time.

• Dr. Andersen discusses her work on the genetic bases for being an "escaper", as well as the lifestyle and personality characteristics they have in common.

"The older you get, the healthier you've been." — Dr. Stacy Andersen

Connect with Dr. Stacy Andersen:

BUMC Bio: profiles.bu.edu/Stacy.Andersen

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Kari Nadeau discuss the presence and health effects of microplastics in our bodies. Microplastics can enter our bodies through various environmental routes, including food, water, and air. They are in everyone's bodies to some degree. Microplastics have been linked to health issues like stroke, cancer, and heart attacks. Simple actions like avoiding single-use plastics and processed foods can reduce microplastic levels in the blood by up to 80% in three months. Dr. Nadeau emphasizes the need for further research and consumer awareness to mitigate plastic pollution.

Key Takeaways:

• A microplastic, scientifically, is anything between 1 micron (the size of a red blood cell or an immune cell) to 5 millimeters (the size of a sesame seed). Anything smaller than that is a nanoplastic.

• Plastics are chemicals. Plastics, as we know them, did not exist before the 1940s. Now we see them in so many places, from healthcare to food to our clothing.

• In the US, we are getting about a credit card's worth of plastic per week in what we eat. In Indonesia, it is more like a credit card amount per day. The amount varies around the world.

"We really need to think about air and water and soil as ways that these plastics can get into our bodies." — Dr. Kari Nadeau

Episode References:

• Environmental Working Group: https://www.ewg.org/

• Jung YS, et al. Characterization and regulation of microplastic pollution for protecting planetary and human health. Environ Pollut. 2022 Dec 15;315:120442.

• Ward CP, Reddy CM. We need better data about the environmental persistence of plastic goods, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117 (26) 14618-14621.

• Ziani K, Ioniță-Mîndrican CB, Mititelu M, Neacșu SM, Negrei C, Moroșan E, Drăgănescu D, Preda OT. Microplastics: A Real Global Threat for Environment and Food Safety: A State of the Art Review. Nutrients. 2023 Jan 25;15(3):617.

• Leslie, H. A. et al. (2022). Plastic particles in cosmetics and personal care products: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 822, 153406.

• https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/microplastics-and-nanoplastics-foods

Connect with Dr. Kari Nadeau:

Professional Bio & Studies: https://hsph.harvard.edu/profile/kari-c-nadeau/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.