An important researcher in the field of cancer died from the disease he was trying to cure. What was his first symptom?

Dr. Rachna Shroff, a research physician who spent much of her career studying treatments for gastrointestinal cancers, died at the age of 47. She fought for a short time against an aggressive form of the disease she was trying to cure, according to Today. At the beginning of this year, Shroff, an Associate Director of Clinical Investigations at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, was diagnosed with cancer of unknown origin after developing an enlarged lymph node in May. By the end of the month, it had spread to other parts of the body, and tests showed that it probably originated in the stomach or intestines. Her medical team initially believed it was lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, but it was later confirmed to be adenocarcinoma, which grows in the cells lining organs. However, she participated in an important conference on cancer research just a few days after diagnosis to continue to increase awareness about recent clinical discoveries. "It was a journey," Shroff told Anne Thompson of NBC News in an interview on Zoom shortly before her death. "I spent my whole life trying to eradicate cancer, mainly pancreatic cancer, and liver cancers." There is no cure for her condition, which was difficult for her and her family - her husband Puneet, their 13-year-old son Sachin, and their 17-year-old daughter Simran - to understand, especially since she had done so much to give other patients more options and time. In her work at the University of Arizona, she contributed to the advancement of hundreds of clinical studies, she told Thompson Dr. Dan Theodorescu, from the oncology center and Shroff's boss. "It is very interesting because she managed to build very effective clinical study operations. And... what she did for the institution, besides conducting her own clinical study and consulting patients, she also managed to recruit some very, very intelligent young people," he said. She is part of the legacy that Shroff hopes will "survive" her, calling it her number one belief. Also, in her name, a prize was created for young researchers in the field of cancer, with $1.35 million already raised by friends, colleagues, and supporters to ensure the prize continues in the following years. Beyond the long-term impact of her career, Shroff said that her main priority was her children: "That is all that matters to me here." Simran and Sachin both shared with Thompson the quality they love most in their mother. "Her tenacity... everything she does is to go through anything and find a way to make things and to have personal and professional success, and I really admire that," said Simran. "I would probably say how loving she is," added Sachin. Rachna and Puneet Shroff were only a few months away from their 20th wedding anniversary when she died. "Puneet was the reason for us to keep going. And his ability to understand my point of view and his ability... to just be by my side," said Shroff. Although they could not celebrate this important achievement together, they still tried to enjoy the small but joyful moments of the last few months, such as Samrin's visit to friends and Sachin's baseball games. "Don't worry, to say so, on earth and then to have it all at once, is overwhelming in both cases," said Puneet at the time. "But it teaches resilience and I hope that it teaches our children resilience. I hope, for Rachna's sake, that it gives them strength, courage." Editor: S.R.