Welcome to our third-ever Members’ Corner article. When we launched a bounty in May asking our community members to write at length about anything they cared about, we were overwhelmed by fascinating and impressive responses. Each month, we’ll turn three of those responses into their own articles. Last time, Horror and Cats discussed his tomahawk throwing journey, and before that Stella discussed Bristol’s links to the slave trade. This week, we’re featuring Josh B's words of warning on a serious problem: pancreatic cancer.   

“I work in healthcare, and the area that I work in - pancreatic cancer - is unfortunately both underfunded and carries with it a poor prognosis for the majority of those diagnosed. It typically presents very late, making it a difficult cancer to treat and the signs and symptoms can be very vague. The non-specificity of those symptoms means that getting a diagnosis isn’t nearly as straightforward as with most other cancers. I’d like to take this opportunity to teach anyone who reads this how to monitor for symptoms and to raise awareness to family, friends, coworkers, and anyone else. 

“Pancreatic cancer carries a one-year survival rate of 25%, and only 5% of people diagnosed with it will survive longer than five years after diagnosis. It’s often seen as a silent killer due to the late presentation of symptoms. However, there are certain things that you should watch out for, and shouldn’t delay contacting a health professional about upon their discovery. That said, if you do discover some of these symptoms, you don’t need to panic. It’s not a common cancer and these same symptoms can have many causes - a lot of the time they’re nothing to worry about. Still, being aware can make all the difference.

“The main symptoms to watch for are weight loss, abdominal and back pain or discomfort, jaundice (the yellowing of the skin and eyes), and a change to bowel habits. The latter could include loose bowel motions, a pale colour to your stool, and floating stool or stool that’s difficult to flush away.  

“For more information, I recommend visiting the Pancreatic Cancer UK website. They’re a UK-registered cancer charity with useful information and support for anyone who may need it.” 

We’d like to thank Josh for sharing his expertise on such an important subject. If you’re concerned about your own bowel health, visit your doctor or healthcare provider. 

At the time of publication, our second Members’ Corner bounty has just closed for submissions, but there will be another one soon. If you’d like to win a cash prize for discussing a subject close to your heart, keep an eye out!