After Toby Keiths death doctors warn that
More than two years after receiving a stomach cancer diagnosis, country music artist Toby Keith passed away on Monday night at the age of 62.
Keith revealed on X in June 2022 that he had been diagnosed in the fall of 2021 and had already undergone surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Then, in June of last year, he reported to Oklahoma City’s The Oklahoman newspaper that his tumor had decreased by one-third and that he was still receiving chemotherapy. He added that he also underwent immunotherapy, which is a medication that stimulates the immune system to eliminate cancer cells.
After Toby Keith’s death, doctors warn that stomach cancer signs are easy to miss
Since his passing, medical professionals have urged people to be aware of the warning indications of stomach cancer, which include nausea, ulcers, heartburn, acid reflux, anemia, pain after eating, abrupt weight loss, and feeling full after consuming little amounts of food.
Many of these items are rather harmless. However, it is naturally how cancer strikes a person, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine’s division chief of gastrointestinal oncology, Dr. Fabian Johnston.
According to Johnston, diagnosis delays can occur when medical professionals and patients are tempted to write off symptoms like acid reflux as unimportant. Many have advanced disease by the time symptoms manifest, he said.
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Men are slightly more likely to be diagnosed than women, with an average age of 68.
Although stomach cancer is still a relatively uncommon disease—roughly 1.5% of all new cancers diagnosed in the United States each year—the American Cancer Society predicts that over 27,000 new cases will be diagnosed with the illness this year.
Over the past ten years, there has also been a modest decrease in the overall rates of stomach cancer diagnosis. However, for unclear reasons, rates are growing among persons under 50.
Dr. Ben Schlechter, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, stated, “There’s something that’s going on — something we’re eating, something we’re ingesting, some combination of factors that’s modern and present — which is resulting in these increased cancers in young people.”
According to Schlechter, although tobacco and alcohol were historically major causes of stomach cancer, they are now linked to a small percentage of instances in the United States, maybe as a result of reduced smoking rates.
Rather, a high number of new instances are discovered in patients suffering from persistent acid reflux or Helicobacter pylori infections, which can inflame the stomach. Scientists are unsure of the exact reason why some individuals with certain illnesses get stomach cancer while the majority do not.
Currently, “it’s a disease of bad luck” for many individuals, according to Schlechter. “There might be a connection to H. pylori infection. Heartburn or reflux may run in the family, but this is usually not evident.
In comparison to other malignancies, stomach cancer is typically more aggressive, according to Schlechter.
It doesn’t imply that fatalities are about to occur. It simply indicates that we don’t have enough resources to treat them,” he remarked. “People are doing fairly well compared to fifteen years ago, but we are not nearly at the point where, for example, the majority of people are cured with surgery, chemotherapy, and other similar treatments for breast cancer.”
Adenocarcinomas, which begin in the stomach’s innermost lining, account for up to 95% of stomach cancer cases diagnosed in the United States. From there, the cancer can go to the stomach’s body, wall, or lymph nodes.
According to Dr. Rutika Mehta, a medical oncologist in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, patients whose cancer hasn’t spread frequently undergo or receive chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of these choices.
Mehta sent an email saying, “We are not yet at a point where we can offer patients a ‘cure,'” for more severe cases. She did, however, note that immunotherapy or chemotherapy might contribute to life extension.
Additionally, physicians are becoming more adept at matching patients to therapies that specifically target proteins linked to stomach tumors. For example, a gene known as HER2, which is also connected to breast cancer, is expressed in certain stomach tumors.
“Medications that treat HER2 breast cancer also treat HER2 gastric cancer to some extent. Schlechter stated, “As a result, we can now provide those medications to patients with stomach cancer and significantly increase their benefit from treatment.”
Results of the illness are “generally poor,” he said, but they’re “much better than they used to be.”