MSI Press Blog

  Poop is one of the body’s earliest alarm systems, and different cancers can alter stool in different ways. Pencil‑thin stool is the classic red flag for colon cancer, but it’s far from the only pattern worth knowing about. The changes below come from how tumors block, bleed, or interfere with digestion and bile flow. 1. Colon & Rectal Cancer Why stool changes: Tumors narrow the passageway, bleed easily, or disrupt water absorption. Key stool patterns: Pencil‑thin or ribbon‑thin stool — narrowing from a tumor blocking the lumen. Pebble‑like hard pellets — obstruction causing excess water absorption. Blood in stool Bright red → lower colon or rectum. Black/tarry → bleeding higher up. Mucus in stool — especially with mucinous tumors. Alternating constipation and diarrhea — partial obstruction. 2. Pancreatic Cancer Why stool changes: Blocked bile duct → no bile reaching the intestine; lack of pancreatic enzymes → fat malabsorption. Key stool patterns: P...

  Shane has always been a good self-advocate. Perhaps because he sees the world differently from others--as a matter of logic, which disconcerts those who would argue with him because they live in the larger illogical world. Fourth grade, fifth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade...nearly every year he had an opportunity not only to outthink his parents (that was a given) but also to outlogic his teachers.  Fourth grade was quite a year for him. He managed to frustrate his teacher on a regular basis. For example, he refused to do his homework, yet he would use math (algebra) to figure out how to lower our electric bill, and he would absorb himself in reading fiction typically assigned in high school and college classes. Though he was only 7 (remember, he began first grade at the age of 3), he considered his time valuable and did not to waste it on silliness or things he already knew. The teacher complained and complained and complained that her would not do his homework. I aske...