MSI Press Blog

  Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is more than just chronic heartburn—it’s a condition that, over time, can lead to cellular changes in the esophagus and, in rare cases, cancer. Let’s unpack the journey from reflux to risk. 🔥 GERD → Barrett’s Esophagus: How Often? GERD affects up to 20% of Western populations weekly. Barrett’s esophagus develops in about 10–15% of GERD patients . Barrett’s is a condition where the normal squamous cells lining the esophagus are replaced by columnar cells, resembling intestinal tissue—a process called intestinal metaplasia . 🧬 Is Barrett’s Esophagus Stage 0 Cancer? Not quite. Barrett’s itself is precancerous , but when it progresses to high-grade dysplasia , it’s often classified as stage 0 esophageal cancer . Stage 0 means abnormal cells are confined to the top layer of the esophagus lining and haven’t invaded deeper tissues. It’s called “stage 0” because it’s the earliest detectable phase before true invasive cancer begins. ...

  April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month. Learn more... Guide to Esophageal Cancer   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-related story -- and be open to guest posts:  Cancer Diary .   Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter  here  or on our  home page . Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in rece...

As with Carl, many people have "signs" of cancer that can be interpreted either as something else quite mild or dismissed entirely as just a bad day or maybe I ate something bad yesterday. Otherwise quite healthy people simply ignore them as an annoyance. (Before cancer, Carl was sick just one day in his life -- 50 years earlier he threw up, once, on the lawn, from unsuspectingly drinking stagnant water the day while carrying out his Forest Service employee duties, Seriously. Never again did he ever throw up even after three rounds of chemotherapy, but he died, healthy, from cancer!)  This is the insidious nature of cancer. Often, you just do not know you have it because the signs are so innocuous until it has taken over your body and is in the winner's circle -- and you have an incredibly difficult battle to get your body back -- and many people lose that battle every single day. This is especially true of "toilet information." Change in bowel movement is prett...

  This being Veterans Day, it seemed like a good research question to find out what resources exist for vets with cancer. Here is the answer: 1. VA National Oncology Program (NOP) The VA NOP provides comprehensive cancer care for veterans, including diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship support. They offer various services such as precision oncology, teleoncology, and clinical trials 2 . 2. CancerCare CancerCare offers support services for veterans, including financial assistance, counseling, and support groups. They also provide information on health care services and resources tailored for veterans 1 . 3. American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society provides resources specifically for veterans, including information on cancer risks, health care services, support groups, and financial assistance. They also offer a 24/7 helpline for cancer-related questions and support 3 . 4. Disabled American Veterans (DAV) DAV helps veterans connect with health care, disability, employmen...

  Whispers Before the Roar: Listening to the Early Signals of Head and Neck Cancer The body has a quiet way of speaking—soft signals, minor shifts, barely-there discomforts. For those facing head and neck cancer, the journey often begins not with a roar but with a whisper. A tickle in the throat that won’t leave. A lump that appears without fanfare. A voice that sounds unfamiliar. This entry in the Cancer Diary series is for those curious, concerned, or caring for someone navigating this terrain. It's not a substitute for clinical advice—but it may be the nudge that prompts someone to listen more closely. 🌱 The First Little Signals Head and neck cancers often creep in quietly. Look out for these early nudges: A painless lump in the neck or beneath the jaw A sore throat that lingers past logic Voice changes, like persistent hoarseness Ulcers in the mouth that won’t heal Difficulty swallowing or the feeling that something’s "stuck" Unexplained fatigue or weight...