MSI Press Blog

  Some cancers announce themselves early. Pancreatic cancer does not. It is one of the quietest, most secretive diseases we face, and by the time it speaks, it often speaks in a whisper. That is why it feels so especially cruel: not because it is uniquely unstoppable, but because it is uniquely hidden. Most people are diagnosed only after the cancer has already spread. More than 80% of cases are found at an advanced stage. The five‑year survival rate remains low not because medicine has failed, but because detection comes too late for medicine to do what it can do. So the question becomes: Why is it caught so late? And more importantly: What can ordinary people do? The Pancreas Lives in the Shadows The pancreas sits deep in the abdomen, tucked behind the stomach, sheltered by ribs, organs, and blood vessels. You cannot feel it. A doctor cannot palpate it. A tumor can grow there for months or years without announcing itself. By the time symptoms appear, they are rarely dramatic. Th...

  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...

  Cancer is often spoken of as an ending. But for many, it becomes a chapter — not the whole book. A diagnosis is not always the final word. Life continues, sometimes for years, even decades, filled with purpose, creativity, and resilience. Ruth Bader Ginsburg survived multiple cancers over two decades — colon, pancreatic, and lung — while serving on the Supreme Court until age 87. What she said : “Cancer was part of my life, not the end of it.”  For other Cancer Diary posts, click  HERE . Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The CCC is expanded and updated weekly. As part of this effort, each week, on Monday, this blog will carry an informative, cancer-...

  It seems that the most commonly shared experience by most cancer patients is that they miss the signs of cancer until often it is too late (stage 4 or 4) when discovered. That is because the signs do not leap out, generally. The following article does a good job of sharing the signs as well as providing a list of risk factors (if you have those, best to keep an eye out for signs) for one of the most deadly cancers: pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer (msn.com) For other Cancer Diary posts, click  HERE . Blog editor's note: As a memorial to Carl, and simply because it is truly needed, MSI Press is now hosting a web page,  Carl's Cancer Compendium , as a one-stop starting point for all things cancer, to make it easier for those with cancer to find answers to questions that can otherwise take hours to track down on the Internet and/or from professionals. The CCC is expanded and updated weekly. As part of this effort, each week, on Monday, this blog will carry an informati...