Dr. Luciane Cavalli enters her office, J. Howard Miller’s famous “We Can Do It!” poster hanging on the wall across from her.

Across campus, a group of Georgetown undergraduates work tirelessly, tabling in Red Square and holding fundraisers to raise awareness and money for the cause — breast cancer research.

One out of every eight women have or know somebody who has breast cancer in their lifetime, and Cavalli, an assistant research professor in the Department of Oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center, along with Georgetown University’s student-run Breast Cancer Outreach, brings this serious issue to the forefront of campus every day.

“I just got a call from the OR and there is a sample there,” Cavalli spoke over the phone to a colleague. She was referring to a sample of breast cancer tissue that she will examine, re-align and research in order to discover what cells are present in cancerous tissue, why they are there and what potential patients can do to eliminate them.

This is all part of the work Cavalli does in a typical day at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, in which cancer specialists are trained to work to improve the diagnosis and prevention of cancer through research like Cavalli’s, which includes researching the prevalence of certain cells in cancer tissue, collecting these samples and writing and discussing her findings

A native of Brazil, Cavalli attended the Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, for her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees, in biological sciences, cancer cytogenetics and molecular biology, respectively. During her time there, she focused her studies on cancer, and because of her close contact with breast cancer surgeons, she chose breast cancer as her specialty.

Cavalli came to Georgetown in 1999 to complete her postdoctoral fellowship in molecular cytogenetics, and now holds the prestigious position in the Lombardi Center of researching and characterizing genetic alterations in women with breast cancer to find out if certain proteins are actively present in their lymph nodes. The status of the cells, cancerous or not, is one of the most important variables when considering the prognosis of the disease. If a marker could be determined to predict the development of metastasis in these tumors, another cause of breast cancer could be unraveled.

Excluding all of the scientific mumbo-jumbo and the scholarly articles, Cavalli’s days are seemingly simple: Collecting samples and running them to the lab, where they are put through a process with fluorescent light that includes hybridization to see the genes, called beta-protein 1.

Another new procedure used in Cavalli’s studies is called the ductal lavage procedure. The procedure has only been available since the early 2000s; it enables doctors to detect cancerous cells in the fluid secreted from a typical breast instead of going in and actually removing tissue to detect tumor cells. Cavalli’s work, along with the technology used, is at the top of today’s cancer research.

“The major goal is to be able to determine if [the patient] will develop metastasis. So we identify the women that will develop the tumors. That way we can keep a closer surveillance on them from an earlier stage,” she said.

Cavalli’s day, however, is not restricted to her office: She works alongside her postdoctoral research assistant in the lab located right next to her office. The space is fairly small, with a few counters full of equipment. There are stations for the alcohol that separates the strands of genes, hybridization stations, probes and slides — the works.

Currently, the work Cavalli and her research assistants do in the lab is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense as well as the American Cancer Society. These groups support breast cancer on an broad scale, giving funding to researchers like Cavalli.

There is also tremendous support on campus for this brand of research. Breast Cancer Outreach is comprised of Georgetown undergraduate students who all share a passion for fighting the disease and everything inherent to the think-pink concept. Each year, the club becomes more ambitious and reaches out to more people in the Georgetown community. Because of this dedication, the current group works tirelessly to raise money and awareness, especially during October, the national awareness month.

Laura Linville (COL ’10), president of Breast Cancer Outreach, calls the early detection of breast cancer as crucial to recovery. “It’s obviously a very prevalent issue. What people don’t realize is that 95 percent of women who find and treat breast cancer early will be cancer-free after five years,” she said.

Linville’s passion for breast cancer awareness stems from the devastating news she received as a freshman in high school when her mother was diagnosed with the disease. Fortunately, through treatment, her mother has been in remission for eight years and is healthy today.

While the disease seems like something that only affects post-menopausal women, breast cells can become cancerous in women as young as 20 years old, as well. So although breast cancer may be one of the last things on the minds of young college students, regular self-examinations can save the lives of people who would potentially develop cancer in a few years, making the checkups and doctors appointments worth it in the long run.

“We do a lot of fundraising through tabling in Red Square. … In the fall, our main events are in the month of October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the spring, our biggest event is Girls and Guys Nights In,” Linville said.

Last year, during the Girls and Guys Night In event, BCO raised $5,000, all of which went toward buying a new mammography machine for the Capital Breast Care Center, which was founded by Georgetown Hospital and is located in Southeast Washington, D.C. The center provides early detection services for women who cannot afford proper screening. This month, BCO is hosting a series of events to raise money for similar causes.

These events include a Dig Pink volleyball game on Oct. 9, the U.S. Senate Health Fair with the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center on Oct. 15 and 16, “Think Pink. Wear Pink”on Oct. 23, Qdoba Night — where 10 percent of profits will go to BCO — on Oct. 29 and the culmination of Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Nov. 7 with the Run for the Hills 5K.

The funds from the events for Breast Cancer Awareness Month will go toward purchasing cancer care packages in the form of accordion folders in which patients can keep information such as labs, insurance and bills. Additionally, BCO plans on purchasing new prosthetic sample breasts with and without tumors for the Betty Lou Ourisman Breast Health Center, so that patients can tell the difference between normal and cancerous tissues.

Other than funding money for new lab kits and equipment, one of the main goals involved in raising breast cancer awareness through organizations like BCO is to make clear to the public the risk factors associated with the disease.

“Women who are obese have a high risk,” Cavalli said. “Hormone history, genes and alcoholism have all been identified with breast cancer.”

Linville also recognized the high risk factors associated with women. “Diet contributes to risk factor, as does high levels of circulating estrogen, which is caused by getting your period early and having menopause late. Higher levels of estrogen will make it more likely to get breast cancer. If you don’t have your first child by the age of 25, you have a higher risk as well,” she said.

Because of the nature of the disease, many men incorrectly assume they can escape the consequences of breast cancer. Even men have breast tissue, and where there is tissue, there is potential for cancerous cells to grow. According to Laura, “1,910 men will get breast cancer in 2009. This means 1 percent of all men.”

When asked, Cavalli confirmed the potential for disease among men. “One out of 100 men are affected.”

For most of the Georgetown community, the colors of October are the yellow of leaves and the orange of Halloween. But for a select group of people — undergraduates, professors, patients and doctors — the color of October is pink. Breast Cancer Awareness Month gives them the opportunity to have their efforts recognized and to raise awareness of a disease that could affect more people than you might have thought.