UBC neurosurgeon Dr. Brian Toyota was interviewed for a Vancouver Sun story on Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie’s brain cancer diagnosis.
Toyota said the recent attention on the disease shines light on the cancer which is in need of more research and clinical tools to improve survival odds.
“There are some longer-term survivors, but the likelihood of living to two years after a diagnosis of glioblastoma is only about 25 per cent,” Toyota said. “It seems a bit callous and cruel to say, but if there’s any silver lining to someone’s else’s dark cloud then it would be that Gord would be grateful if his celebrity is used to raise awareness that helps lead to a cure.”
Vancouver General Hospital is ready to recruit patients for a new virotherapy trial, Toyoda said.
