Marisa Bittoni, PhD

While most cases of lung cancer are related to smoking, studies have shown that lifestyle behaviors, such as diet and exercise, are also ​associated with developing lung cancer. Microbes that live in or on us (our microbiome) can also affect our health, including our lung cancer risk. Certain bacteria from these microbes may cause less or more bodily inflammation, which can also increase or decrease our cancer risk. We will examine whether a structured exercise program that includes weight training and aerobic activity, such as running/walking, will reduce the presence of early markers of lung cancer, such as inflammation and, in turn, whether it may affect the microbiome that exists in each of us. We will determine whether people who undergo the structured exercise intervention will have a lower risk of developing lung cancer by reducing inflammation and changing their microbes, which will also reduce their cancer risk.