Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Dies from Lung Cancer
Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki died Saturday following a two-year battle with lung cancer. She was 56.
Her husband, Dennis Troper, announced her death on Facebook.
“It is with profound sadness that I share the news of Susan Wojcicki passing. My beloved wife of 26 years and mother to our five children left us today after 2 years of living with non-small cell lung cancer.”
Before becoming CEO of YouTube in 2014, Wojcicki was senior vice president for ad products at Google. Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared an internal memo with employees highlighting Wojcicki’s instrumental role in the company’s growth.
Today we @youtube lost a teammate, mentor, and friend, @SusanWojcicki. I had the good fortune of meeting Susan 17 years ago when she was the architect of the DoubleClick acquisition. Her legacy lives on in everything she touched @google and @youtube. I am
— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) August 10, 2024
forever grateful for…
“Even as I write this it feels impossible to me that it’s true,” Pichai shared. “Susan was one of the most active and vibrant people I have ever met. Her loss is devastating for all of us who know and love her, for the thousands of Googlers she led over the years, and for millions of people all over the world who looked up to her, benefited from her advocacy and leadership, and felt the impact of the incredible things she created at Google, YouTube, and beyond.”
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., accounting for about 1 in 5 of all cancer deaths. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.
It’s the second most common cancer in men and women in the U.S. not counting skin cancer. The disease is notoriously difficult to detect, mainly because it often does not produce noticeable symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage.
More than 235,000 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year. About 125,000 will die from the disease.
“In reality, everybody is at risk for lung cancer,” said Lary Robinson, MD, a thoracic surgeon at Moffitt Cancer Center. “If you ignore smoking status, 1 out of every 16 people will get lung cancer.”
While mortality rates have actually declined in recent years, according to a report from the American Cancer Society, Robinson says the number of never smokers who get lung cancer is increasing, especially in women. Statistics show 25% of women and 10% of men with lung cancer have never smoked.
Lary Robinson, MD
“Lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide, with over 2.2 million new cases each year,” Robinson said. “The never smoking women with lung cancer is a very distinct group. Most are found with late-stage disease. The average age of diagnosis tends to be younger than that of smokers and former smokers.”
Besides smoking, the leading causes of lung cancer are:
- Radon
- Secondhand smoke
- History of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Family history of lung cancer
- Occupational exposures
- Age
Additionally, mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are the most common targetable genomic drivers of non-small cell lung cancer. EGFR-positive lung cancer represents about 10% to 15% of lung cancer in the U.S. The role of EGFR is to help cells grow and divide. However, when EGFR is mutated, cell growth goes unchecked, allowing abnormal cells the opportunity to grow and multiply.
Research and Never Smokers
As clinical observations suggest the number of lung cancers diagnosed among never smokers is increasing, it also remains understudied. Robinson is hoping to buck that trend with an ongoing observational study to try and identify potential risk factors for cancer in women who are never smokers with lung cancer.
Diet has been a suspected risk factor, with several studies finding a significantly reduced risk among patients who stick to a healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables and low-fat foods while reducing meat consumption.
According to Robinson, a whole food, plant-based diet is known to have anti-inflammatory potential and is associated with favorable bacteria in the intestine. Changing to a plant-based diet is strongly associated with a decreased risk of a variety of cancers including lung, as well as a decreased chance of developing cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and dementia.
