[Kim Jaeho's Life Story] <270> Prevention and Treatment of Brain Tumors

All tumors that develop inside the skull are referred to as brain tumors. Brain tumors include not only those that arise in the brain itself, but also tumors that develop in the cranial nerves, meninges, cerebral blood vessels, skull, and scalp surrounding the brain. Although brain tumors are not among the most common cancers in the body, they are difficult to treat, and the five-year relative survival rate is not particularly high.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), there were 322,000 new cases of brain tumors worldwide in 2022, making it the 19th most common cancer by type. In South Korea, the number of new cases of cancer in the brain and central nervous system increased from 1,352 in 2000 to around 2,000 after 2016, reaching 2,163 in 2022, which accounted for 0.8% of all cancer cases.

Brain tumors have distinct characteristics that set them apart from other cancers. Brain tumors grow inside the skull, which has no extra space for expansion. As the tumor grows and intracranial pressure increases, symptoms such as headache or vomiting may occur. If the tumor presses on a specific area, it can impair the function of that part of the brain. Brain tumors rarely metastasize to other organs.

Brain tumors are classified based on their site of origin as either primary brain tumors, which develop in brain tissue or meninges, or metastatic brain tumors, which are cancers that have spread to the brain from other organs. They are also categorized by malignancy: benign brain tumors, which grow very slowly, and malignant brain tumors, which grow rapidly and aggressively invade surrounding tissue. Depending on the type of cell where the brain tumor originates, they are further divided into: ① gliomas, which arise from glial cells that support and assist neurons; ② meningiomas, which develop in the meninges that surround and support the brain; ③ pituitary tumors, which occur in the pituitary gland; and ④ schwannomas, which originate from Schwann cells that surround nerve cells.

Treatment options for brain tumors include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Other methods include targeted therapy, gene therapy, photodynamic therapy, and hyperthermia therapy. Surgery is known to be the most effective treatment for brain tumors, but if the tumor is located in a critical area such as those responsible for movement, language, memory, consciousness, or cranial nerves, severe aftereffects can significantly reduce quality of life.

Radiation therapy is considered the next most effective treatment after surgery. There are various methods, including Gamma Knife, linear accelerator-based techniques, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and proton therapy. Despite these treatments, malignant brain tumors often have significant side effects after treatment, and the prognosis is poor, making it difficult to achieve satisfactory results.

Recently, the five-year relative survival rate for patients with brain and central nervous system cancers has remained between 40% and 43%. From 2018 to 2022, the five-year relative survival rate for patients with brain and central nervous system cancers was 40.2%. This was higher than for pancreatic cancer, gallbladder and bile duct cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer, but lower than for most other cancers. The number of deaths from brain tumors increased steadily from 963 in 2000 to 1,563 in 2023.

Despite significant advances in treatment methods for brain tumors, treatment outcomes remain unsatisfactory because therapies are not based on the causes of brain tumors.

The medical community generally maintains that the causes of brain tumors have not yet been fully identified. As a result, treatments are not cause-based but instead focus on removing the brain tumor or treating its symptoms. Many patients suffer from the aftereffects or side effects of both the brain tumor and its treatment, and in severe cases, some do not survive for long.

Given this reality, is there a good way to prevent and cure brain tumors? There is something we should pay attention to in order to prevent and cure brain tumors.

Research shows that up to one million of the six billion DNA molecules in a single cell can be damaged each day. If these damaged DNAs are not repaired and remain in their damaged state, the genes do not function properly, and the cells cannot perform their roles. Therefore, all cells must undergo DNA repair, which involves identifying and replacing all damaged DNA with new DNA of the same type.

The process of repairing damaged DNA involves activating the necessary genes, which exist in the form of genetic intelligence within the cell. I refer to this genetic intelligence as "the best doctor prepared within my body." With good lifestyle habits, DNA sustains less damage and repairs more efficiently. With poor lifestyle habits, DNA is damaged more and is less likely to be repaired properly.

If the DNA in cells is excessively damaged or if the genes responsible for repairing damaged cells do not function properly, resulting in many unrepaired cells, we become susceptible to various diseases. The specific disease we develop depends on which genes in the cell are damaged and altered, and whether they fail to return to their normal state.

Various cancers, including brain tumors, are among these diseases. According to geneticists, cancer cells are those in which only a few dozen out of more than 20,000 genes in our cells have become altered. The two main types of genes that, when altered, typically lead to the formation of cancer cells are as follows.

When cells divide, there are three checkpoints in the cell cycle that monitor the process. After confirming that each stage is completed without problems, the cell is allowed to proceed to the next stage. If issues such as DNA damage are detected, cell division is immediately halted. However, cancer cells have mutated checkpoint genes, so they continue to divide uncontrollably.

In addition, normal cells have genes responsible for repairing damaged DNA and for apoptosis, or programmed cell death, which causes a cell to self-destruct when its lifespan ends or when there is too much DNA damage to repair. Cancer cells, however, have mutated apoptosis genes and therefore do not self-destruct.

Thus, cancer cells have mutated checkpoint and apoptosis genes, so they do not die on their own and continue to grow endlessly.

Even though cancer cells have become malignant, they are still our own cells, unlike bacteria or viruses that come from outside the body. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to selectively kill only cancer cells without harming normal cells using any substance. Only immune cells are capable of distinguishing between normal cells and cancer cells and selectively killing the cancer cells.

Therefore, the best way to cure various cancers, including brain tumors, is to help immune cells, which are responsible for detecting, attacking, and eliminating cancer cells in the body, recover their original function. This means reducing activities that support cancer and increasing activities that support life.

In summary, to prevent and cure brain tumors, we must correct poor lifestyle habits that cause extensive DNA damage to brain and immune cells and interfere with the repair of damaged DNA. This includes avoiding carcinogens, reducing behaviors that support cancer (which hinder the best doctor within us), and increasing behaviors that support life by creating an environment where the best doctor can work effectively. This way of living is called Newstart (see Life Story Part 6).

The first of the eight Newstart principles is a life diet, which means eating a wide variety of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, and grains, in whole form and in sufficient quantities, without favoring specific foods. It is also important to reduce the intake of sugar (which can cause many problems if consumed in excess), processed or refined unhealthy carbohydrates, saturated and trans fats, salt, and alcohol, as well as to practice the other Newstart principles: exercise, water, sunlight, temperance, air, rest, trust, and love.

Independent researcher