CU Cancer Center News and Stories

Barb Spanjer lay on the floor of her office. She had never been so tired. Her stomach and left side ached, and the pain under her left shoulder blade was relentless. She had seen her doctor a couple of times that autumn of 2017, but the medicine for the ulcer he suspected she had wasn’t working. She had been too tired and too busy running the construction company she and her husband, Steve, owned to follow up with the doctor. But it was getting harder to ignore the symptoms. Something just wasn’t right.

Rachel Sauer | June 26, 2023

Before receiving a pancreatic cancer diagnosis eight years ago – a diagnosis that resulted from persistent self-advocacy – Carolyn Degrafinried spent one awful weekend wondering if she was losing her mind.

Rachel Sauer | March 23, 2023

If you drew a line straight back between your eyes, you would hit the pituitary gland in about three inches. Though only about the size of a pea, the pituitary is a master regulator of hormone systems throughout the body. It’s also a fairly common origin of tumors. One in every 10,000 people will be diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor originating in the pituitary; one in five people will develop a pituitary mass without knowing it. Most of these pituitary masses aren’t cancer – they become dangerous only when they affect pituitary function or grow large enough to squeeze against other nearby structures, often creating headaches or affecting vision. But some pituitary masses are cancer. Knowing the difference can be tricky and treating these diverse pituitary tumors can be especially challenging.

Cancer Center | June 24, 2019