HOUSTON — Country singer and songwriter Toby Keith died earlier this month after a battle with stomach cancer. The 62-year-old was diagnosed in 2021.
Dr. Maen Abdelrahim, a specialist in Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at Houston Methodist, said 26,000 people were diagnosed with gastric cancer last year in the U.S. It is the fourth most common cancer in men and seventh most common in women.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and bloody stools that never resolve with other interventions.
Dr. Abdelrahim said that sometimes there are no signs, or it can be mistaken for other issues.
“Sometimes some of the patients ignore their symptoms for some time and delaying it can cause it to be misdiagnosed as acid reflux disease,” said Dr. Abdelrahim.
He said this cancer is treatable, especially in the initial stages.
Ways you can lower your risk factors include eating less fast food, less red meat and eating more fiber. Dr. Abdelrahim also said excessive alcohol and tobacco use are major contributors to stomach cancer.