# Ask the cancer patient (again)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cancer-patient-again/549648>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 9, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cancer-patient-again/549648 "2010-08-09T00:26:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cancer-patient-again/549648/61 "2011-09-01T12:28:23Z")

</div>

I read them for the articles _sniff_

(Not that I have seen one for years).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cancer-patient-again/549648/62 "2011-09-04T07:53:57Z")

</div>

And the tests were all clear.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cancer-patient-again/549648/63 "2011-09-04T15:36:17Z")

</div>

> [@Cicero](#):
>
> And the tests were all clear.

Congratulations! Fantastic news.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cancer-patient-again/549648/64 "2011-09-04T17:28:15Z")

</div>

> [@Balance](#):
>
> It doesn’t help that I don’t really know how to describe the odor. It is very distinctive, which makes it recognizable, but also makes it hard to compare it to anything else. The best I’ve come up with is that it’s something like dirt and dead flowers, which is neither the most encouraging imagery nor all that precise.

Advanced cancer is said to have a “dead mouse” smell to it. It IS hard to describe, and I have noticed it a few times in my life. If I were to meet someone with that smell today, I probably wouldn’t say a word, but I would expect to hear sad news soon.  
~VOW

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-cancer-patient-again/549648.md?page=3)