Breast and Lung Cancer Etiology, Treatment, and Research

by Gabriel Brutico, MBS 2019, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Mentor: Michael Bordonaro, PhD

            Although the development of many aspects of American society has brought upon the decline of disease incidence or the improvement of various diseases, cancer diagnosis remains an unfortunately common occurrence. As a kid, I often heard or read the phrase, “everyone knows someone affected by cancer.” I remember not necessarily fully understanding the truth of that statement, and I certainly never expected to have close relatives be affected by cancer.

The prevention and treatment of cancer along with the ongoing efforts for cancer research remain an integral aspect of combating one of America’s leading causes of death.

The most common types of cancer include breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer. The two types that are of high importance in discussing are breast and lung cancer. Breast cancer is unique because it is the leading type of cancer with approximately 270,000 estimated new diagnoses this year according to the National Cancer Institute. Lung cancer is also unique because it is the second leading cancer type and leading cause of cancer-related deaths, about 143,000 in 2018. I recently decided to become more educated on the topic of breast and lung cancer by writing a review article summarizing the risk factors, screening and diagnostic processes, treatments, and the direction of future treatment for both types of cancer.

Though my focus of the review was on these five aspects, I found myself wondering about the most impactful way to improve cancer prevention. After all, if cancer could be completely prevented then all the diagnostic tests and treatments would no longer be required. Obviously, it goes without saying that cancer prevention would save millions of lives, time, and money. I can only imagine how this saved time and effort would be used for research in other areas of medicine. However, while delving into the facts, figures, and research on breast and lung cancer, my original notion of the potential for cancer to be completely preventable was quickly overturned.

Through researching the many factors that contribute to breast cancer, I often read facts that stated only about 10-20% of breast cancers are due to genetic components. In fact, I recall reading an article on WebMD that claimed half of current breast cancers occur in women without any known risk factors. The contributions for breast cancer include gender, age, family history, genetics, alcohol consumption, weight, physical activity, and many more. Some of these risk factors for breast cancer provided me with a clearer insight of my original notion; breast cancer is not completely preventable. It is certainly possible to change some of the risk factors including weight, alcohol consumption, and physical activity, but it is undoubtedly impossible to change one’s sex, age, family history, and genes. If some of the risk factors are not modifiable, it must be true then that all people will carry some level of risk, and therefore there is a minute chance that breast cancer could be prevented in every instance.

Lung cancer was quite different than breast cancer with regard to prevention because the major lung cancer risk factors can be changed. For example, the two major contributors to lung cancer are smoking and radon gas exposure. Smoking can certainly be avoided or stopped with any of the various cessation plans. Radon gas is most commonly found in underground basements and can be monitored with the use of radon detectors. There are uncontrollable risk factors for lung cancer as well, including genetic components and recurrent conditions such as tuberculosis. As such, I would only claim that lung cancer is more preventable than breast cancer, and that neither are fully preventable.

Through my research on breast and lung cancer I was able to become more educated on the complex topic of cancer. Not only did I learn about the many risk factors mentioned above, but I also learned of the screening tests, diagnostic processes, current treatments, and the future of both fields. Though my review concluded with changing an original assumption of mine for a less favorable reality, I was ultimately very content with my new understanding of cancer prevention and care. Much of the current research on these two cancers resonated with my current curriculum at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, and so I found many of the articles to be quite interesting. As such, I hope to continue educating myself on breast, lung, and many other types of cancer especially since these conditions are so prevalent and impactful in our society. Lastly, I also hope to engage in discussions with friends and colleagues about cancer and other diseases so that there could be a mutual advancement of education and understanding.