Following Toby Keith's passing, medical professionals caution that symptoms of stomach cancer can often go unnoticed

 Following Toby Keith's passing, medical professionals caution that symptoms of stomach cancer can often go unnoticed

Country music star Toby Keith passed away on Monday night at the age of 62, over two years after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

In June 2022, Keith revealed on X that he had received the diagnosis in the fall of 2021 and had already undergone chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.

Last June, he informed The Oklahoman newspaper in Oklahoma City that his tumor had reduced by a third and that he was continuing chemotherapy, along with receiving immunotherapy to assist the immune system in combating cancer cells.

His death has reignited discussions among medical professionals to recognize symptoms of stomach cancer, such as heartburn, acid reflux, anemia, nausea, ulcers, postprandial pain, sudden weight loss, or feeling full quickly after eating small amounts.

Dr. Fabian Johnston, the division chief of gastrointestinal oncology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, emphasized that symptoms like acid reflux may be dismissed by doctors and patients, leading to delayed diagnoses, often when the disease has progressed significantly.

The average age of diagnosis for stomach cancer is 68, with men being slightly more at risk. Although stomach cancer is relatively rare, with approximately 27,000 new cases expected this year, overall diagnosis rates have slightly decreased over the past decade. However, rates among adults under 50 are on the rise for reasons not yet understood.

Dr. Ben Schlechter, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, noted that while alcohol and tobacco were once common contributors to stomach cancer, they now play a minor role, possibly due to reduced smoking rates. Instead, many cases are associated with chronic acid reflux or Helicobacter pylori infections, though the reasons why some develop cancer while others do not remain unclear.

Stomach cancer is often aggressive, with limited treatment options compared to other cancers, according to Schlechter. However, advancements in matching patients with targeted treatments have shown promise, such as drugs that target the HER2 gene expressed in some stomach cancers, which have also been effective in breast cancer treatment.

Despite the generally poor outcomes of the disease, Schlechter noted that outcomes have improved significantly compared to the past.