Course Objectives: Describe the various WBC and their functions, and Interpret the response of WBC counts to disease

Breast cancer is a highly common type of cancer and one of the most frequent causes of death in females globally. It is estimated that 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, and 685,000 women globally were killed by the disease (Abdulla et al., 2025). There are many types of breast cancer, but the favored one is ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. It is when cancer cells are present in your breast ducts in one or both of your breasts; it is a very early form of breast cancer. Your milk ducts are the ones that carry the milk from the lobes of your breasts to your nipples. The “in situ” part of the cancer means that it is contained in your milk ducts and has not spread to your breast tissue and immediate surrounding tissue. A study has shown that ductal carcinoma has either had a raise or decrease of two white blood cells. Lymphocytes (more specifically B cells) and monocytes. Both of these white blood cells; also known as leukocytes, come from the subgroup called agranulocytes. Agranulocytes do not have visible cytoplasmic granules. Monocytes are your cell’s firefighters. They mature in your bone marrow and are deployed on a mission to defend your body from germs and other invaders. Think this, germs are like spreading fires in your body. The monocytes will respond to the alarm signal and put out the “fires”; infection, caused by the germ. Although, these specific white blood cells have to change into two other types of cells to fight. Dendritic cells and macrophages. Dendritic cells seek reinforcements from other white blood cells to fight off infections. While macrophages are on the front lines, and will protect your body from pathogens. On the other hand, lymphocytes, more specifically, the B cells will collaborate with other immune cells to battle cancerous cells and other diseased cells that may cause illness. When they are stimulated, they will become plasma cells that react to an antigen by producing antibodies. Or they become memory cells that recall the antigen, so your immune system can recognize and battle in the future. Their study illustrated that the monocytes “decreased in the bloodstream of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the year following blood draw” (Blood Test May Point to Timing of Breast Cancer Diagnosis (Environmental Factor, February 2020), 2020). On the other hand, B cells “was higher in women who were diagnosed four or more years later” (Blood Test May Point to Timing of Breast Cancer Diagnosis (Environmental Factor, February 2020), 2020). So, white blood cell counts will increase or decrease depending on when the disease (like cancer) will develop. Breast cancer also has been found to increase if the breast cancer gene (BRCA gene) mutation is present in ones’ family genealogy. There are two types of BRCA genes. Type 1 or type 2. Women who carry the BRCA1 type have approximately a 2% likelihood of having pancreatic cancer, 39–63% likelihood of developing ovarian cancer, and 46–87% likelihood of developing breast cancer during their lives. Women who carry the BRCA2 type had a 2–6% risk of developing pancreatic cancer, an 11–17% risk of developing ovarian cancer, and a 45–69% risk of developing breast cancer. In addition, BRCA2 mutations seem to elevate the risk of melanoma. The lifetime risk of breast cancer in the general population is 12% in women and the risk of ovarian cancer is 1.3% (Fantini‐Hauwel et al., 2024). Treatment of this cancer is simple. There are two treatments. Breast conserving surgery where the surgeon will remove only the tumor and a small amount of normal breast tissue around it. The other treatment is a mastectomy. It is where the surgeon will remove the entire breast if the DCIS is too large. Survival rate of DCIS depends on the rate of spread. About 99% of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma survive for five years if the cancer has not migrated outside of the breast. The five-year survival rate is about 86% if the cancer has spread to neighboring structures or lymph nodes.The five-year survival rate is roughly 27% if the cancer has progressed to a distant part of the body.

The project is displayed on one canvas and has a clay “sculpture” of the breast area. The breast on the left is full, while the one on the right is split in half. The split part of the breast is to show the tissues inside, and the top right corner of the canvas has a diagram. Diagram shows a normal milk duct vs a duct with ductal carcinoma. Meaning the normal duct has one layer of epithelial cells, while the ductal carcinoma has multiple layers of epithelial cells. Which indicates cancer because of the overgrowth of cells. So, in conclusion, my STEAM project is representing the overgrowth of epithelial cells in the milk duct which results in ductal carcinoma.

References

Abdulla, R. A., Kareem, N. A., Assadi, R. A., Rahim, A., Sathyapriya Nandagopal, Shahnaz Mohamed Wazil, & Jayakumary Muttappallymyalil. (2025). Impact of breast cancer awareness program on breast screening utilization among women in the United Arab Emirates: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21512-1

Betts, J. G. (2022). Anatomy and Physiology 2e. Openstax.

Blood test may point to timing of breast cancer diagnosis (Environmental Factor, February 2020). (2020). National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2020/2/papers/breast-cancer

Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Ductal Carcinoma in Situ (DCIS). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17869-ductal-carcinoma-in-situ-dcis

Cleveland Clinic. (2021, November 28). Monocytes: A Type of White Blood Cell — What Are Normal Ranges? Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22110-monocytes

Cleveland Clinic. (2023, February 1). B Cells. Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24669-b-cells

Fantini‐Hauwel, C., Geerts‐Crabbé, L., & Antoine, P. (2024). Relevance of the common‐sense model for people living with a genetic predisposition for breast and ovarian cancer. British Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12752

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Stages. (n.d.). Moffitt. https://www.moffitt.org/cancers/invasive-ductal-carcinoma/diagnosis/stages/Understanding Your Pathology Report: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS). (n.d.). Www.cancer.org. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/diagnosis-staging/tests/biopsy-and-cytology-tests/understanding-your-pathology-report/breast-pathology/ductal-carcinoma-in-situ.html