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YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki had a message for the world a few weeks before her passing.
Although lung cancer is decreasing overall due to the reduction in tobacco use, lung cancer is more common in people who never smoke It has increased significantly” Wojcicki in a YouTube blog Posted on Monday.
Wojcicki, one of Google's first employees, died in August after a two-year battle with lung cancer. She was 56 years old.
On her YouTube blog, she called for more resources to be invested in lung cancer research, particularly in women and non-smokers. The blog was written in the weeks before her death, according to YouTube, which was posted with her family's permission.
“In late 2022, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I had no symptoms and was running a few miles a day at that time. I have never smoked so I was shocked by this diagnosis,” Wojcicki wrote.
“Having cancer was not easy. I've changed a lot as a person, and perhaps the most important lesson I've learned is to focus on the present and enjoy it,” she wrote. “Life is unknown for everyone, there are many unknowns, but there is a lot of beauty in everyday life. My goal going forward is to enjoy the present as much as possible and fight for a better understanding and cure for this disease.
Wojcicki was not alone in her lung cancer journey.
In the United States, there is a trend toward more young and middle-aged women getting lung cancer than men.
And even though Cigarette smoking is the number 1 risk factor for lung cancer.Most of the young women being screened had never smoked. It is supposed to be about. Two thirds of lung cancer in never smokers They are in women.
Jhalene Mundin, a 36-year-old nurse from New Jersey, has never smoked and her doctor has described her as healthy with no risk factors. However, last year, the mother of two children received the shock of her life.
She was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, an advanced stage of the disease where it has spread outside of her lungs.
Her eyes still fill with tears when she thinks of that day.
“I remember crying,” Mundine said of her diagnosis.
“I thought maybe it was stage II or III. But when you said it was stage IV, I felt like the room was closed to me. And I remember saying, 'No, no,' because I was thinking about my kids,” she said. “No, I can't die yet, because I have two kids to raise. They still need me.''
Before Mundine's diagnosis, she had a persistent cough that was getting worse — but she thought it might be a lingering symptom of a case of Covid-19.
However, she had an appointment on her calendar to get a hip X-ray due to hip pain.
“My friend, who's a colleague, she said, 'You're getting an X-ray of your pelvis before. Why don't you get a chest X-ray?” said Mundine.
“And so the doctor gave me a script for both,” she said. “Then a chest x-ray showed a large mass. The persistent cough was from lung cancer.”
Most people with lung cancer do not have symptoms until the disease is advanced, but some are more common Symptoms of lung cancer It may include a persistent cough that gets worse or doesn't go away, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing up blood, fatigue, or weight loss.
Studies suggest that Lung cancer tests Among women in the US, it has increased to 84 percent It has decreased by 36 percent in men over the past 42 years. Women who have never smoked are more likely. twice Men who never smoke are more likely to get lung cancer.
“Lung cancer is clearly increasing in non-smokers,” he said Dr. Helena YuA thoracic oncologist and early drug development specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who is treating Kara.
“in order to 20% of lung cancer “This year and the most recently diagnosed are in never smokers – and that equates to 40,000 cases a year,” she said. 1 out of 5 people who die of lung cancer They are now never smokers. So we're seeing increased diagnoses but continuing that death rate.
She added that the youngest lung cancer patient who was treated was diagnosed at the age of 26. The man also had no history of smoking.
Although it is not known exactly what causes this increase in lung cancer in young women, Yu has some ideas.
I think there are two ways or reasons why people who have never smoked get lung cancer. I think there are exposure issues like air pollution, asbestos, secondhand smoke, radon — and those that are very rare and maybe a small part of it,” she said. “Then there are mutations that cause lung cancer, and we're seeing a really big increase in these mutations that cause lung cancer and are more common in women.”
Mundine said her doctor was “95% sure” it was a genetic mutation. Behind her lung cancer diagnosis. Even though she was a nurse, she was angry because she had never been told about this mutation.
“If I had known, I would have been on it,” she said. “I'm angry that no one is talking about it. That – why wasn't it diagnosed like colon cancer or breast cancer?”
A mutation in a gene b epidermal growth factor receptoror EGFR, has been linked to an increase in lung cancer. It is one of several genetic mutations associated with increased susceptibility to the disease.
The EGFR protein helps cells grow too much, which causes cancer.
Like Mundine, 38-year-old Cara was diagnosed with EGFR lung cancer And as a patient, she says she has a strong interest in further research.
“My hope for the future is that there will be a revival around EGFR and that research will continue to find a cure, because it affects so many healthy individuals and it's just killing us,” she said. he said.
Kara began noticing pain in her right arm and shoulder in February. Eventually, an MRI revealed an approximately 6-inch malignant tumor on her arm, and the tumor grew so large that she underwent reconstructive surgery.
But doctors knew the cancer didn't come from Kara's arm, so they raced to find the source. In June, Cara was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. She had no smoking history and no risk factors and was otherwise healthy.
“Finding this news was shocking and completely unexpected,” said Cara, who asked not to use her last name for privacy.
With the help of her care team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, she says she was able to resume an otherwise normal life while undergoing treatment. She relies on her friends, boyfriend, family and faith.
“I'm living my life normally. I run marathons, I still manage to do that,” Cara said.
“I ran the Chicago Marathon in October,” she said. “I'm still traveling. I am still spending time with my family. I feel good. I don't feel pain, so I'm very happy to feel better and have a better quality of life.
Studies show that EGFR mutations are more common in men than women.
Some studies have shown that EGFR mutations occur at a higher frequency in tumors seen among East Asians than in non-Asians. A study 30% of tumors from East Asians and 8% of tumors from non-Asians.
“There are certain mutations, such as EGFR, that occur more frequently in Asian women,” Yu said.
Mundine said she “basically fits the bill” because she's young and Asian and has never smoked.
Later, she met two friends in her social circle who were diagnosed with lung cancer related to a genetic mutation. They are both Asian, she said.
Dr. Alexander DrilonMundy, who has been treating lung cancer, said he treats many people whose cancers are targeted, such as EGFR mutations.
“Compared to patients with smoking-related lung cancer, these patients are less likely to be diagnosed, like Jhalene, and many of them are women,” said Drilon, a thoracic medical oncologist and early drug development specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He wrote in an email.
“When we first learned about the EGFR target, young women who never smoked were the demographic most associated with EGFR+ lung cancer,” Drilon said, adding that there are many lung cancers with other targets. Young women who never smoke.
“Although I am not surprised to see this trend in the targets of lung cancer, it is still a mystery why these cancers occur in young women,” he said. “Scientists in the field have speculated on the possible contribution of environmental factors or genetics, but so far no one has made a very strong link to a specific factor.”
Lung cancer can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but Drilon said many cancers associated with genetic mutations can be treated with targeted therapies, drugs that target genetic mutations in a tumor to stop the growth and spread of the cancer. Cells.
“Because of these new treatments, patients who receive it can stay longer than those who don't,” Drilon said.
This continuing mystery surrounding the biological differences in lung cancer has led some lawmakers to call for more research into these differences.
Last year, the representatives of the United States were introduced Women's and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services ActThat's the purpose Additional Lung Cancer Research Commission and requires the US Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an interagency review of the state of lung cancer in women, including identifying new diagnostic, screening and treatment options.
Historically, women were underrepresented in some large lung cancer studies, and before 1993; Many clinical trials have left women.
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