Ashley's First Post

I am a senior finishing a biology and public health double major with a minor in sociology.  I chose to take this course because cancer has played a large role in my life, affecting many of my family members, and thus has been a growing interest of mine for some time.  Given my own experience and from reading my fellow bloggers posts, cancer is a disease that has, in one way or another, touched most people's lives.  The fact that it is so prevalent, displays such great diversity, and is largely incurable adds to its intrigue.

Below is a table of the estimated number of leading new cancer cases and deaths in the U.S. in 2014. 

I am specifically interested in the genetic versus lifestyle components of cancer.  In the epidemiology class I took lat quarter I learned a little about mammograms and the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene mutations with relation to breast cancer screening and would like to learn more about that.  The controversy over the use of potentially carcinogenic artificial sweeteners such as aspartame is another topic with which I am interested.