Podcast: Brain Cancer Breakthroughs
Dr. Macarena de la Fuente envisions a future that empowers patients to manage tumors with fewer compromises.
Glioblastoma is a brutal brain cancer.
It is aggressive, common and nearly always fatal. Standard treatments of radiation and chemotherapy often leave patients with cognitive problems and a diminished quality of life.
But Macarena de la Fuente, M.D., chief of the Neuro-oncology Division at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, envisions a future that empowers patients to manage tumors with fewer compromises. She investigates new drugs that prolong progression-free survival and delay the need for toxic treatments.
In some of the clinical trials she and her team are advancing, the tumors even shrank in size.
“There is a huge, unmet need for effective, less-toxic glioma treatments,” said Dr. de la Fuente, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “How do we kill the infiltrators yet minimize the toxicity?”
Tune in to the latest Inside U Miami Medicine podcast episode to hear about work that looks to redefine the standard of care for glioma patients. You’ll also hear about the formation of the new Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute (SBTI), which is elevating brain cancer care and research in South Florida and beyond.
Find the episode on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Tags: Brain Cancer Initiative, Dr. Macarena de la Fuente, glioma, gliomas, Sylverster Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sylvester Brain Tumor Institute