Celebrating new tools in the fight against cancer: op-ed

This is a guest opinion column appearing on 205focus.com.

As we observe Cancer Survivors Month this June, I find myself reflecting on a journey that began in November 2022 with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. It has been a long road marked by rigorous treatments, including radiation, a Whipple surgery, and more than three and a half years of 40-hour chemotherapy cycles every three weeks.

Today, I am incredibly thankful for a breakthrough in my own care: a chemotherapy pill I can take at home. This shift is a massive blessing, allowing me to maintain my career as a bank branch manager and continue cherishing time with my children and grandchildren without being anchored to a hospital chair for days at a time.

Advancing the fight against cancer

While I still undergo scans every three months, I am holding my own. I know that many others do not have this same opportunity. Decades of research have driven significant progress, yet early detection remains a critical hurdle. Too many diagnoses come too late, resulting in heartbreak for families across the nation.

The momentum in medical innovation is encouraging. We are seeing real promise in experimental drugs, potential vaccines for pancreatic cancer, and multi-cancer early detection tests that have shown the ability to increase cancer detection fourfold while reducing the number of Stage IV diagnoses. It is vital that we sustain this progress and prioritize policies that expand patient access to these life-saving tools.

Urgent action for early detection

The situation for pancreatic cancer is particularly urgent. Experts anticipate it will become the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States within the next four years. Because there is no standard routine screening, more than half of all patients are diagnosed at Stage IV.

There is hope on the legislative front, however. Congress recently passed the Nancy Gardner Sewell Act, which establishes a pathway for Medicare to cover new screening tests, including those designed to identify pancreatic cancer in its earlier stages. I am deeply proud of Alabama’s Rep. Terri Sewell, who served as the lead champion for this legislation, turning the personal tragedy of losing her mother to pancreatic cancer into a purposeful legacy that will benefit patients across the country.

Know the warning signs

We all have a role to play in this fight. Pay close attention to your body and understand the symptoms. For pancreatic cancer, be alert for unexplained weight loss, back or upper abdominal pain, new-onset diabetes, or sudden jaundice. I felt perfectly healthy—even finishing a landscaping project—right before my own symptoms appeared. The fact that many people do not feel sick is exactly why we must embrace and expand access to new early detection technologies.

This Cancer Survivors Month, I join many others in thanking Rep. Sewell and calling on policymakers to continue supporting research. By investing in these tools, we can create more stories of survivorship, reduce unnecessary suffering, and turn hope into measurable progress.

Margaret Newton is a pancreatic cancer survivor and an advocate for research funding and early detection.