After Toby Keith’s death, doctors warn that stomach cancer signs are easy to miss
Physicians mentioned that symptoms typically don't manifest immediately, but typical indicators include experiencing heartburn or acid reflux.
Country music star Toby Keith passed away on Monday night at the age of 62, more than two years after he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. In June 2022, Keith revealed on X platform that he had received the diagnosis in the fall of 2021 and had already undergone chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
Last June, he shared with The Oklahoman newspaper of Oklahoma City that his tumor had decreased in size by a third, and he was continuing with chemotherapy while also undergoing immunotherapy, a treatment aimed at bolstering the immune system to fight cancer cells.
Keith's death has brought attention back to the importance of recognizing symptoms of stomach cancer, which can include heartburn, acid reflux, anemia, nausea, ulcers, post-meal pain, sudden weight loss, or feeling full after eating small portions.
Dr. Fabian Johnston, the division chief of gastrointestinal oncology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, emphasized that although many of these symptoms may seem minor, they can be indicative of a serious condition like cancer.
Delaying diagnosis is a concern, as symptoms may be dismissed as harmless, leading to advanced disease by the time it's recognized. Stomach cancer typically affects individuals around the age of 68, with men having a slightly higher risk.
Despite stomach cancer being relatively rare, with around 1.5% of new cancers diagnosed in the U.S. each year, the American Cancer Society predicts nearly 27,000 new cases this year. While overall diagnosis rates have declined, there is a worrying trend of rising cases among adults under 50, the reasons for which remain unclear.
Dr. Ben Schlechter, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, noted that traditional risk factors like alcohol and tobacco, once prevalent in stomach cancer cases, are now associated with a minority of cases, possibly due to decreased smoking rates.
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